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Six refugee team athletes participated in the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Among them, there are players from Afghanistan who are struggling right now.



Reporter Lee Jeong-chan met the protagonist who risked his life to cross the border and stepped on to the Paralympic stage of his dreams.



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The first rider of the refugee team to enter the opening ceremony on the 24th was Abbas Karimi, a swimmer from Afghanistan.



Born 24 years ago in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, without arms, Karimi grew up in discrimination and disregard for being different.



After learning to swim, I got a new life.



[Abbas Karimi/Refugee Team Swimmer: I realized that I can be a part of society and succeed as long as my brain and heart are beating.]



After deciding to become a disabled swimmer, he risked his life at the age of 16 to cross the border. After many twists and turns, Karimi obtained refugee status in the United States via Iran and Turkey, and after relentless efforts, she stood on the Paralympic stage of her dreams.




In the first race, the 50-meter butterfly preliminaries, he cut the water with a powerful dolphin kick and placed 6th overall and advanced to the final, where 8 people compete.



[Abbas Karimi/Refugee Team Swimmer: (Is this the best record in your life?) Yes, it is the best record. It was very strong and fast.] In the



final, Karimi performed again and finished the race in 8th place.



[Abbas Karimi/Refugee Team Swimmer: Sooyoung saved my life. It's all for me. It led me on the right path and led me to this position.]



Karimi, who is known to have her mother and family still living in Afghanistan, declined to comment on Afghan-related questions, and



[Refugee Team Press Officer: (Two Afghan fellow athletes… ) no Afghan questions. (As for the players?)]



Karimi, who expressed her gratitude for the interest and support she has received over the years, asked for continued interest in refugees from all over the world in the future.



[Abbas Karimi/Refugee Team Swimmer: Thank you for your interest. You gave me this opportunity. Thanks to you I can be here. Thank you.]



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Park Chun-bae, CG: Kang Yu-ra)