“Darkness” is the first word that comes to Zakia Khudadadi’s mind when she thinks back to the events which unfolded in her native Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.
It is a date etched in the annals of the nation’s history, the day that saw the Taliban recapture the capital city of Kabul, causing millions of Afghans to flee.
Since the Taliban’s ascension to power once again, repressive laws have been enforced on the country’s population. Extreme religious ideology has disproportionately impacted Afghan women, who now can’t go to school or even leave their homes without a male chaperone.
Now, three years on, Khudadadi is fortunate enough to call Paris, France, her home. Though despite the continental distance separating her from Kabul, events in Afghanistan are still at the forefront of her mind on the eve of competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Set to take part in the 47kg K44 female taekwondo event in a fortnight’s time, the 25-year-old tells CNN Sport that this Paralympics is her opportunity to make a difference to the lives of those back home.
“This is a chance to inspire,” she says. “To show women and girls that they are more than they’re made [to] feel by the Taliban. To show that the women of Afghanistan are strong and can achieve great things.”
Miraculous Paralympic debut
Just one week after fleeing Kabul, Khudadadi found herself in Tokyo, Japan, making her Paralympic debut and setting a host of records in the process.
That Paralympic appearance in 2021 saw her become the first woman to represent Afghanistan since the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004 and also the first Afghan woman to compete in taekwondo at the Paralympics.
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 house, she was forced to continue her Paralympic preparations from her back garden.
With her situation becoming increasingly dire with each passing day, she released a video plea which went viral.
The attention garnered from the video resulted in Khudadadi being granted a place 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 because I was a female athlete disobeying their rules,” she recalls. “I had only one choice – to leave.”
2024 Paralympic ambitions
Although now a clichéd line offered up by many athletes in interviews, when Khudadadi says she is competing for more than medals, it is hard not to believe her.
“I survived so much to get to this point. All the dangers I have faced, from the Taliban, the armed checkpoints and even worse. So now that I am here, I will use the platform to give a voice to those who can’t be heard back in Afghanistan,” she says.
“This means more to me than I am able to describe. I am competing for a cause bigger than myself. I am here to battle for Afghan women and to show that even in the face of war, that we are strong and cannot be silenced.”
As a Paralympian without the use of one of her arms, Khudadadi is even more determined to highlight the plight of disabled people living under Taliban rule.
“We are not seen as human,” she explains. “They see us as less than that. I want to show that in many ways, us disabled people are even stronger.”
Representing women around the world
It is not just the women of Afghanistan who Khudadadi aims to represent. The taekwondo star admits that being a part of the IOC Refugee Team is also a significant part of her motivation and mindset heading into the Games.
“Of course, it pains me greatly to not be competing under the flag of Afghanistan, but I am proud to be with the Refugee Team,” Khudadadi says.
“Currently, there are women all over the world suffering. This is not just a problem in Afghanistan. You can see it in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine, that women all over the world are struggling.”
Last year, according to UN figures, a record 117 million people were displaced by conflict, resulting in extremely challenging conditions for women across the globe.
“Being a part of the Refugee Team allows me to advocate for women from around the world,” says Khudadadi. “Some people might see it as just sport, but to those with very little, it can mean everything. I want to show the world that refugees are not as they are often portrayed. That we are strong and that all we need is an opportunity.
“I think of myself, coming to a completely new country and being asked to learn an entirely new language and culture. The fact I wear a hijab made things even more difficult and made me feel like even more of an outsider. I don’t want other refugees to endure those feelings in the future.”
Final preparations
Training intensely under French coach Haby Niare, Khudadadi now heads into the Games as a very real medal prospect in the 47kg K44 category.
Having claimed the gold medal at last autumn’s European Para Championships in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, there is the possibility that she could set yet another record and become the first ever Paralympic medalist from Afghanistan.
Already a champion of women’s rights, a podium placing would surely set the 25-year-old on par with her sporting icon, Rohullah Nikpai, who claimed Afghanistan’s only Olympic medals to date when he won bronze in the men’s 58kg and 68kg taekwondo categories in 2008 and 2012.
However, in the aftermath of a captivating Olympic Games, there is a fear that spectator fatigue will kick in and dilute the attention afforded to the Paralympics.
This is a scenario which Khudadadi wants to avoid as she makes one final pre-competition declaration: “I am going to tell my story and you are going to hear it, no matter what.”