Rohullah Nikpa, the first Afghan Olympic champion, has announced that he might never take part in Taekwondo contests if the situation continues like this. He complained about discrimination of Taekwondo federation officials but did not detail what kind of discrimination exactly he was talking about.
His remarks widely covered by Afghan local media indeed brought huge disappointment for civilians particularly the supporters of Nikpa. He is the first person from the country that got bronze medal in Olympics hosted by China in 2008. Four years later, he once again shined in London Olympics and disclosed his martial skills. But due to bad luck, he could not win silver or gold medal for his country in spite of earlier optimism sparked by spectacular punches and kicks.
These two great achievements in Olympics and his victory in various other regional and international taekwondo matches have been largely effective in restoring the prestige of the country. Each of his kicks indeed was a cry against the picture the world has from the country; that of violence, suicide bombings, terrorism and opium production. He showed that Afghanistan is a source of talents if it finds the chance to develop them.
Secondly, his success brought hope for the rest of athletes and sportsmen. People in these spheres were/are in view that they are no match to athletes and sportsmen of other countries due to their facilities and hard work. He showed that in spite of lack of facilities and negligence of martial arts and sports by officials who largely do not understand the value of sports, Afghans can defeat their rivals at international level.
Thirdly, he has come from a poor background. He belongs to a neglected ethnic group. Meanwhile, his victory and national support for him, particularly, the special ceremony held for welcoming him and other team members who participated in London Olympic of 2012, caused thousands to shed tears of happiness. Such national movement once again sparked the Afghan national ego and strengthened hope that once again after centuries Afghans become united and deem themselves as one nation.
Unfortunately, the remarks of Nikpa once again raise doubts on such honest feelings. It appears that the notorious ghost of discrimination has even infected the sports sector which was deemed to weaken communal sentiments and strengthen national one. Seemingly, the monster of discrimination continues undermining the nation building process.