AN AFGHAN taekwondo star who fled the Taliban and lived in a refugee camp will fight at the Paris Olympics – thanks to head-kicking craftsmanship honed in Manchester.
Farzad Mansouri carried the Afghanistan flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics but this time he will appear as part of the 37-strong Refugee Olympic Team.
That is because he has been displaced from his homeland ever since a coup of the government in capital Kabul in 2021.
The martial arts expert immediately left the city of Parwan with his immediate family in fear of nationwide reprisals by the Taliban.
The next eight months were spent in a refugee camp in the United Arab Emirates desert – the family all lived together in two small rooms.
He had no access to fighting or training equipment until he moved to the UK on a special sportsman’s visa where he has benefited from British Taekwondo’s facilities.
Mansouri said: “It wasn’t easy. It was a crazy situation.
“It was really quick. We moved to the airport and after one day, we’d moved to Abu Dhabi.
“It wasn’t easy but my family left the country for me.
They said: ‘You’re a good athlete, you did a lot of good stuff, you have a good future.’
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“At that time there was the Covid-19 problem. You weren’t allowed to go outside of your room.
“After two months, I talked with the security, I told them I’m a professional athlete, I shouldn’t stop my sport.
“It’s really hard because in taekwondo, you need a lot of facilities to carry on your sport.
“It wasn’t easy to train inside the camp. But I still had a dream of going to these Olympics.
“We didn’t have much protection or pads in the camp. In taekwondo, we have an electric system and our headguards are electric.
“I did my running and skipping for my body. The only problem was I couldn’t compete for eight months.
“In our sport, you have to go everywhere for competition and to be ready to collect Olympic and world ranking points.”
Over the past two years, his parents and one brother and one sister emigrated to the US while his eldest brother lives in Reading with Mansouri’s niece.
The hope is that long before the LA Olympics in 2028 he will be reunited with his mum and dad Stateside.
During his time in Manchester, where he has learned to deal with the many rainy days, he has worked closely with a coach from Liverpool.
But he said: “When I came here in 2022, it was really hard for me to understand him. He speaks very fast, and the Liverpool accent is really hard.
“But now I’m really happy that I can talk with him and communicate during fights.
“I don’t feel like a refugee, I feel like a British person. I have been two years training there. It has been really good for me.”
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
More medals to be won in the velodrome with Emma Finucane eyeing gold in the women’s keirin (4.15pm) while Ethan Hayter goes in the men’s omnium (4pm).
The 3m men’s springboard diving final could be a chance for Jack Laugher to claim a fifth Olympic medal (2pm).
World champ and Tokyo silver medallist Bradly Sinden plus London and Rio gold star Jade Jones both go in the taekwondo (from 9.55am).
BRITS TO WATCH
The heptathlon begins at 9am with Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jade O’Dowda taking on the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m today.
The 4x100m men’s and women’s relays start with round one this morning (from 10.10am).
And Georgia Hall and Charley Hull have their second round at the golf (from 8am),
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The men’s US basketball team face Serbia at 8pm hoping to book their place in the final.
The all-conquering Netherlands take on Germany for men’s hockey gold (6pm).
And there will be a host of athletics superstars in the finals on the track, with the men’s 200m (Noah Lyles) and men’s 110m hurdles (Grant Holloway) golds all up for grabs this evening from 7pm.
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Still time to get some beach volleyball action with the semi-finals from 4pm right by the Eiffel Tower.
Alternatively, the women’s handball semis feature Sweden vs France (3.30pm) and Norway vs Denmark (8.30pm).
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
Each member of the Refugee Olympic team has an incredible story to tell and there is a special kinship between them.
The whole squad will be cheering him on against American CJ Nickolas in the first round of the men’s -80kg category on Friday morning at the Grand Palais.
Mansouri said: “My message to all refugees in the world – never give up. If you have any dreams, follow them.
“Everyone knows the situation is hard for refugee people. But I believe one day everything will be great.
“Of course, I’m trying to win a medal. I believe in myself, I have good confidence.
“I’d tell fans to make a prayer for me and keep supporting me. I’ll do my best for them of course.”
