KABUL: Afghanistan’s only Olympic medallist, taekwondo star and national hero Rohullah Nikpa, yesterday said he would boycott international competition unless reforms root out discrimination and mismanagement within the sport in his country.
The 26-year-old said he would not compete in this week’s WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Puebla, Mexico, to protest against poor management and discrimination within Afghanistan’s Taekwondo Federation (ATF).
“It has been there, discrimination and mismanagement. It is like a clique, a group of people have taken over the ATF and are doing whatever they want with no regard to athletes’ needs,” he said.
“The situation has negatively affected our abilities physically and psychologically... I announce that I will no longer represent Afghanistan on the international stage unless serious reforms are made in the ATF.”
The decision by the twice Olympic bronze medallist will be viewed as a step backwards for the war-torn country. As a member of the minority Hazara community, he is seen by Afghans as a unifying figure across ethnic groups.
The ATF rejected his allegations, saying that he had informed the organisation a month ago that he would not go to Mexico because of injury. “All his wins since 2009 were under the current ATF leadership. We cannot understand why he is making these accusations,” Secretary General Mirwais Bahawi said.
Nikpa denies pulling out due to injury, saying that a recurring knee problem did not stop him from winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Trainer Mohammed Bashir Taraki resigned recently to protest against mismanagement, favouritism and poor selection decisions within in the ATF.
“He (the head of the ATF) brings people from his taekwondo club to the federation regardless of their capabilities and professionalism and sends fighters from his club to take part in international competitions, not the people who deserve it,” he said.
Nikpa is a fairytale hero in a war-ravaged country. As a 10-year-old obsessed with Bruce Lee and martial arts movies, he followed his brother to the taekwondo club while civil war raged in Afghanistan.
He was 14 when the Taliban regime fell at the end of 2001 and began training in Kabul. Partly thanks to Nikpa, taekwondo has become one of the most popular sports in Afghanistan. Up to 38,000 competitors, according to Bahawi, practise in hundreds of clubs though facilities are sometimes basic. AFP
