Afghanistan Judoka Traverses Five Countries Before Realising Paris Olympics Dream

For most athletes, a journey to Olympics under normal circumstances involves gruelling training, discipline and some perseverance but when the aspirant hails from war-torn Afghanistan, it ends up being a 6000km voyage to safety and sporting opportunities. Afghan judoka Sibghatullah Arab fled Taliban in 2021, took refuge in five different countries before settling in Germany, covering 6000km. Arab will be representing the IOC (International Olympic Committee) refugee team in the men's 81kg category at the Paris Olympics.

He as learned many things from judo, a sport he came to love after watching the world championships on television at home in the rural north of his native Afghanistan.

But nothing could prepare him for what happened in 2021 when, with the Taliban regaining huge swathes of territory in and around his home province of Kunduz, he fled to Europe.

Arab was merely 19 and had just broken into the Afghan judo team at that time.

"When I left Afghanistan, there were many problems, I did not know if I would be alive and if I would arrive," he said.

After nine months of travelling through countries including Iran, Turkiye, Greece, Bosnia and Slovenia, he settled in Germany. The journey full of risks had an adverse impact on his health.

"I had many problems on the way, there was stress, my health was not good," he said, not wanting to go into the details.

After his lengthy journey, he first arrived in Kamen, a small town to the east of Dortmund, and was placed in a refugee centre. This proved to be a turning point in his judo career.

"There was a guy who told me I can go to a judo club in Monchengladbach - that's how I found my coach, who is from Iran and could speak Persian with me. He helped me so much." Despite his