Only three years ago Zakia Khudadadi sent out an urgent video while hiding in a friend’s home – don’t forget the women of Afghanistan, she said. The government had just been overthrown by the Taliban and her planned trip to the Tokyo Paralympics looked impossible. But some incredible individuals, with some help from organisations and institutions around the world – including the London based team Chef de Mission Arian Sadiqi got Zakia and her team mate Hossain Rasouli out of the country on emergency humanitarian visas and in to Tokyo in time to compete. Following the games they were flown to France to start new lives as refugees in Paris.
This week Zakia made history – the first ever Refugee Team Paralympian to win a medal – in women’s taekwondo. This is her story…with special thanks to the translations provided over the phone by another history maker, Afghanistan’s first female Olympian, Friba Rezayee.
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