“Darkness” is the first word that comes to Zakia Khudadadi’s mind when she recalls the events that unfolded on August 15, 2021 in her native Afghanistan.
It is a date etched in the annals of national history: the day the Taliban recaptured the capital Kabul, sending millions of Afghans fleeing.
Since the Taliban returned to power, repressive laws have been imposed on the country’s population. Extreme religious ideology has disproportionately impacted Afghan women, who are now unable to attend school or even leave their homes without a male escort.
Now, three years later, Khudadadi is fortunate enough to call Paris, France, her home. Despite the continental distance that separates her from Kabul, events in Afghanistan are still at the forefront of her mind on the eve of her participation in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
The 25-year-old will compete in the women's 47kg K44 taekwondo event in two weeks and tells CNN Sport that these Paralympics are her chance to make a difference in the lives of people back home.
“This is an opportunity to inspire,” she says. “To show women and girls that they are more than they were created to be. [to] feel by the Taliban. To show that the women of Afghanistan are strong and can achieve great things.”
Miraculous Paralympic debut
Just a week after fleeing Kabul, Khudadadi found herself in Tokyo, Japan, where she made her Paralympic debut and set a host of records.
With her participation in the 2021 Paralympic Games, she became the first woman to represent Afghanistan since the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. She was also the first Afghan woman to compete in taekwondo at the Paralympic Games.
Initially unable to flee the country due to the closure of all international airports, Khudadadi went into hiding from the Taliban. Unable to train or even leave her home, she was forced to continue her Paralympic preparations from her backyard.
Her situation became more dire by the day, so she posted a video message that went viral.
The attention the video attracted saw Khudadadi placed on Spain's evacuee list and she was soon airlifted to safety by the Australian Air Force.
“I was told that if I stayed, the Taliban would come and take me away because I was a female athlete who broke their rules,” she recalled. “I had only one choice: leave.”
Paralympic ambitions 2024
Although it has become a cliché by now and many athletes say in interviews that she is fighting for more than just medals, it is hard not to believe her.
“I have survived so much to get to this point. All the dangers I have faced, from the Taliban, the armed checkpoints and worse. Now that I am here, I will use the platform to give a voice to those who cannot be heard in Afghanistan,” she says.
“This means more to me than I can describe. I am fighting for a cause bigger than myself. I am here to fight for Afghan women and to show that even in the face of war, we are strong and cannot be silenced.”
As a Paralympic athlete who cannot use either of her arms, Khudadadi is even more determined to raise awareness of the plight of disabled people living under the Taliban regime.
“We are not seen as human,” she explains. “They see us as less than that. I want to show that in many ways, we disabled people are even stronger.”
Representing women all over the world
It’s not just the women of Afghanistan that Khudadadi wants to represent. The taekwondo star admits that being part of the IOC Refugee Team is also a key part of her motivation and mindset heading into the Games.
“Of course it hurts me a lot that I am not participating under the Afghan flag, but I am proud to be part of the refugee team,” says Khudadadi.
“Right now, women are suffering all over the world. This is not just a problem in Afghanistan. You see it in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine, women are struggling all over the world.”
According to UN figures, a staggering 117 million people were displaced by conflict last year, creating extremely difficult conditions for women around the world.
“Being a member of the Refugee Team allows me to stand up for women all over the world,” says Khudadadi. “Some people may see it as a sport, but for people with very little, it can mean everything. I want to show the world that refugees are not what they are often portrayed as. That we are strong and all we need is a chance.
“I think about myself, coming to a completely new country and being asked to learn a completely new language and culture. The fact that I wear a hijab made it even harder and made me feel even more like an outsider. I don’t want other refugees to have to deal with those feelings in the future.”
Final preparations
Khudadadi has been training intensively under French coach Haby Niare and is now entering the Games as a serious contender for a medal in the 47kg K44 category.
After winning gold at the European Paralympic Championships in Rotterdam last fall, there is a chance that she will set another record and become the first Paralympic medal winner from Afghanistan.
The 25-year-old is already a champion of women's rights and a podium finish would undoubtedly put her on par with her sporting icon Rohullah Nikpai, who won Afghanistan's only Olympic medals to date when he took bronze in the men's 58kg and 68kg taekwondo categories in 2008 and 2012.
However, after the exciting Olympic Games, there are fears that spectators will become tired and that interest in the Paralympic Games will wane.
This is a scenario Khudadadi wants to avoid, as she makes a final statement before the match: “I'm going to tell my story and you're going to hear it, no matter what.”
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