(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
- Zakia Khudadadi was going to be the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Paralympic Games.
- It has been announced that the Afghan Paralympic Team will not be attending due to the Taliban takeover.
- Khudadadi told Reuters " I don't want my struggle to be in vain and without any results. Help me."
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Zakia Khudadadi, 23, had her sights set on the prestigious title of being the first Afghan woman to compete at the Paralympics.
Khudadadi, however, along with her fellow taekwondo athlete Hossain Rasouli, is now trapped inside their home country – and they will not be attending the Paralympic Games.
The Taliban's seizing of Kabul on Sunday, August 15 has meant that the vast majority of Afghan citizens are stuck within the borders.
Khudadadi recently celebrated her to-be achievement of being the first woman to represent Afghanistan in the games, saying: "This is the first time that a female athlete will be representing Afghanistan at the Games and I'm so happy" on the official Paralympics Twitter account.
-Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) August 10, 2021
However, in what has been a devastating week for many, that has now all changed.
"This current situation has left the Afghan nation speechless and have shattered many dreams and hopes for peace and prosperity in the country," Arian Sadiqi, Chef de Mission for the Afghanistan Paralympic Committee, told The Telegraph.
"The National Paralympic Committee of Afghanistan's team (NPC) was due to fly out to Tokyo 2020 to compete in the Paralympic Games. But, unfortunately due to the current upheaval going on in Afghanistan, Zakia Khudadadi and the team could not leave Kabul in time."
The National Paralympic Committee also confirmed the news that the entire Afghan Paralympic Team will not be attending the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Speaking to Reuters, Khudadadi said: "I urge you all, from the women around the globe, institutions for the protection of women, from all government organizations, to not let the rights of a female citizen of Afghanistan in the Paralympic movement to be taken away so easily.
"The fact that we ourselves have lifted ourselves from this situation, that we have achieved so much, it cannot be taken lightly. I have suffered a lot, I don't want my struggle to be in vain and without any results. Help me."