Afghan paralympic athlete Zakia Khudadadi to compete for the Refugee Team (4/4)
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00:00I've received the papers. I'm officially taking part of the Paralympic refugee team.
00:10It's an honour for me. I'm here with my heart, my commitment and my goal for the millions
00:16of refugees I represent under the refugee flag.
00:23And I'm determined and I hope we'll win together.
00:31Just a few weeks before the Games, Zakia was continuing her training at INSEP where media
00:36access was restricted.
00:38To compete in Paris 2024 with the French team, her naturalisation should have been accepted
00:44before the end of February 2024.
00:49Zakia will take part with refugees but train with us as she has been for the past two years.
00:55We haven't changed a thing. Our ambition is still to win a Paralympic medal, maybe even
01:00the title. In any case, she has the ability and she proves it every day in training. She
01:05has a real energy, an intention and a state of mind that's quite impressive with just
01:10a few weeks to go before the Games.
01:13Humanly speaking, I'm no longer talking about administrative matters, she's in the French
01:17team so she's French, or at least she's part of the French adventure, that's for sure.
01:22With the concern of this naturalisation, it is still topical and remains the wish of the
01:27Federation and the French state.
01:29The Paralympic refugee team has eight members from across the world. Massoma Alizadeh, an
01:35Afghan cyclist and the representative of their Olympic counterpart, is proud to support the
01:40team.
01:44The goal of the Refugee Olympic team is an opportunity for athletes to participate in
01:48the Olympics, to tell inspiring stories and send the message of peace, reunification and
01:53hope for all refugees who have the strength to leave their country.
02:02I follow Zakia and all the Afghan people follow Zakia because she is a strong, determined woman.
02:09She works hard, she dreams of winning a medal at the Olympics, even with all the difficulties
02:15she has as an Afghan woman. She tries to do her best and I really admire her, I hope she
02:21wins a medal. She'll be a source of pride for me, for all Afghan women and for the refugee
02:27community.
02:31Two days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Zakia carried the flame in
02:36the suburbs of Paris. Now the Paralympics have never been so close, nor has her dream
02:42of winning medals in her host country France, but also for the refugees.