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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Afghan Taekwondo Athlete - Faizi
HEADLINE: Taekwondo Champion Who Fled Afghanistan, Then Ukraine Hopes to Represent Afghanistan
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 4/29/2022 at 9am
BYLINE: Waheed Faizi
CONTRIBUTOR: Nazrana Yousufzai and Roshan Noorzai
DATELINE:
VIDEOGRAPHER: Waheed Faizi
VIDEO EDITOR: Waheed Faizi
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE(1st); Holly Franko
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original | VOA Afghan Service | AP, AFP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:24
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Afghan Taekwondo champion Nisar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai fled Afghanistan for Ukraine and is now in Switzerland. Despite his circumstances, he says he is ready to represent Afghanistan in competition. VOA’s Wahid Faizi has the story.]]
((NARRATOR))
Millions of people have fled Ukraine because of Russia's invasion, including some Afghan refugees.
Nisar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai, an Afghan athlete and Olympic medalist, is one of them.
((Nisar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai, Afghan Taekwondo Fighter)) ((Male in Pashto)) ((SKYPE))
“Unfortunately, I was also among those people who had to flee. We first went to Poland, then to Switzerland.”
((NARRATOR))
When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August, Abdulrahimzai was visiting Russia. Instead of returning to Afghanistan, he sought refuge in Ukraine, only to flee that country a few months later when Russia invaded.
((Nisar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai, Afghan Taekwondo Fighter)) ((Male in Pashto)) ((SKYPE))
“I was in Russia when the Afghan government collapsed. As you know, things were difficult. I did not have time to stay in Moscow as my visa was about to expire. I decided to go to Ukraine.”
((NARRATOR))
Abdulrahimzai won a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. He has also been awarded a number of other medals for Afghanistan.
He aims to participate internationally again, but sports analyst Zahir Noori says time is not on Abdulrahimzai’s side.
((Zahir Noori, Sports Analyst)) ((Male in Dari))
“Nisar is losing time. We are hopeful that his refugee situation gets situated and he returns to training so that so that he can represent Afghanistan once again and participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
((NARRATOR))
Many Afghan athletes have fled the country since the Taliban took power, including the Afghan women's national soccer and cricket teams.
According to sports analysts, the exodus of athletes will have a negative impact on the future of sports in Afghanistan because Afghan athletes will begin competing in their new countries of residency.
But for Abdulrahimzai, there’s only one nation he’ll ever compete for.
((Nisar Ahmad Abdulrahimzai, Afghan Taekwondo Fighter)) ((Male in Pashto)) ((SKYPE))
“I will never play for any other country. Wherever I go and live, I will always represent my homeland, Afghanistan.”
((Waheed Faizi for VOA News))
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NetworkVOA
BylineWaheed Faizi
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