The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president said on Wednesday that it was sad that Afghan athletes trapped in Kabul would not be able to compete in the Games and heart-breaking to watch a female athlete’s video plea for help in reaching Tokyo.

“There are no commercial flights. We all have seen the images from the airport in Kabul.” “It became clear to us right from the beginning that there will be no safe way to try to bring these athletes to Tokyo,” IPC President Andrew Parsons told Reuters in an interview.

Amid the country’s ongoing turmoil, the Afghanistan Paralympic Committee said on Monday that two Afghan athletes would not be able to attend the Games that commence on Aug. 24. Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi and track athlete Hossain Rasouli had been scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Aug. 17. In a video message, Khudadadi made a plea for help on Tuesday as she sought to escape Kabul and revive her shattered dream of becoming the country’s first female competitor at the Paralympic Games.

Like the Olympics that ended earlier this month, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics will take place generally without spectators, organisers have said, as Japan has extended COVID-19 emergency measures in the capital and other regions that will run through the Games. The host city Tokyo announced 4,377 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, after a record 5,773 on Friday.

News Source : SportStar