Afghanistan’s parataekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi has represented her country and team by carrying the Olympic torch as part of the Games opening ceremony in Paris on Friday.
“I had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch today. It was a great honor, and the feeling of pride was amazing,” she said after the event on Facebook.
“As an Afghan female athlete and a refugee, I carried the final Olympic torch with a smile and joy,” she added, saying that the Olympic torch represents unity, peace, freedom, and equality for people around the world.
Last year Khudadadi won gold in the European Para-Taekwondo Championships after defeating three opponents including her Turkish opponent, Nuria Askanji, in the under-47 kg weight category.
Now she is competing in the Olympics with the Refuge Paralympic Team, but longs to compete under the Afghan tri-coloured red, black and green flag.
She previously told Rukhshana Media of how much it hurt to win her European Championship as a refugee.
“When I was going to the podium and I had won the gold medal for the first time, I was really overwhelmed and sobbed because I was a refugee and both my country and I didn’t have a flag,” she said in an interview with Rukhshana Media.
The Olympic Games is being held in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Six athletes from Afghanistan, including three women, are set to compete in the Paris Olympics this year.
The Taliban spokesperson for the sports department Atal Mashwani said they do not recognize the three female athletes, who live in exile outside Afghanistan and who qualified for the Olympics.
“Only three male athletes represent Afghanistan,” he said.
In response to the Taliban officials’ refusal to recognize the female athletes who are competing, Human Rights Watch has called for the suspension of the Afghan National Olympic Committee’s activities, which is currently controlled by the Taliban.
The International Olympic Committee said that no representatives from the Taliban will be permitted to attend the Games.
