KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan-born athletes Abbas Karimi, a swimmer on the U.S. Paralympic team, and Zakia Khudadadi, a female para taekwondo competitor on the refugee team, won silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the Paris Paralympics.
Both athletes belong to the Hazara ethnic group, which has historically faced persecution and marginalization in Afghanistan and remains a target under Taliban rule.
Abbas secured the silver medal on Friday, August 30, after competing against athletes from Mexico, Italy, and China in the final round of the mixed freestyle relay at the Paris Paralympics.
He is scheduled to compete in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly events at the Paris Games in the coming days.
After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2020, Abbas competes for the United States. He previously won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly event at the prestigious Swimming World Series in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Abbas’s swimming journey is unlike that of a typical elite athlete. Born without arms, he fled Afghanistan and found a new home in the United States, where he rose to become one of the world’s top Para swimmers.
Earlier in the Games, Zakia Khudadadi etched her name in history by becoming the first athlete from the Refugee Paralympic Team to win a medal.
Zakia, 25, who fled Afghanistan for France when the Taliban took power, defeated competitors from Cuba, Turkey, and Morocco to win the bronze medal, becoming the first athlete from both the refugee team and Afghanistan to achieve this at the Paralympic Games.
Last year, Zakia won a taekwondo gold medal at the 2023 European Para Championships, defeating her Turkish opponent in the women’s under 47 kg final at Rotterdam Ahoy in the Netherlands.
Expressing her joy after winning bronze, Zakia dedicated the medal to the women of Afghanistan and refugees worldwide, hoping that her country will one day be free and peaceful.
“This medal is fantastic for me but also all the women in Afghanistan and all the refugees. We’re not giving up for equality and freedom in my country,” she said
Following her victory, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, congratulated Zakia on her historic victory, calling her a “symbol of hope” for millions of refugees.
At this year’s Paris Olympics, three female and three male athletes represented Afghanistan, all currently living in exile. However, the Taliban declared that it does not recognize the participation of Afghan female athletes in the Games.
Shortly after taking power, the Taliban promised to respect women’s rights. However, in the three years since, the group has severely restricted women and girls, curbing their movements and denying them education, employment, sports, and other freedoms.
