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| Parfait Hakizimana is one of six refugees participating in the Tokyo Paralympics opening in August. Courtesy of UN Refugee Agency |
By Ko Dong-hwan
The Brundian Civil War devastated Parfait Hakizimana's life in 1996 when he was eight. The boy lost his mother and his left arm was injured so badly that it became permanently debilitated.
His traumatic experience acted as a warning for him in 2015 when civil unrest became resurgent. Not wanting to face another disastrous tragedy, he fled his country, heading north to Rwanda just across the border, and landed in the Mahama Refugee Camp in eastern Rwanda. He has been living in the country's biggest refugee camp ― with over 50,000 people ― ever since.
At his new "home," Hakizimana didn't let his physical disability and dark past overwhelm him. Instead, he found a means to exercise his body and soul, holding onto a belief that he was more than just an asylum seeker waiting helplessly but someone who could shape his own fate. It was taekwondo that led him to such breakthrough.
"Refugees don't have a lot," he told the United Nations Refugee Agency once. "But sport helps them forget their troubles."
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| Hakizimana, second from left, is a Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation coach who has been teaching children at the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda after he arrived there in 2015. Courtesy of UN Refugee Agency |
He learned the martial art thanks to supports from the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, an organization World Taekwondo established in 2016 to empower refugees through the sporting discipline.
In spite of his arm, his skill stood out. At the camp, Hakizimana became a THF coach and organized a taekwondo school where he trained over 1,000 refugee children. He competed in several competitions, including the 2017 African Open Championships in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. After winning his first match, he lost to the No. 1 seeded, three-time world champion Aythami Santana Santana from Spain 18-12 in the under-61kg K44 division quarterfinal.
Now, four years since the African Open, this year he is knocking on the door of the Tokyo Paralympics ― starting Aug. 25 and closing Sept. 5 ― to test how tough and resilient he has become against taekwondo athletes from a broader world. If he stands on the podium to receive a medal, the flag representing the Refugee Paralympic Team will be hoisted over him.
"We are thrilled with the announcement that Hakizimana will be representing the Refugee Team at the Tokyo Paralympic Games this summer," World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won said. "Few athletes have had to overcome the conditions of Hakizimana, who until recently lived, taught, and trained in Rwanda's Mahama Refugee Camp. We also would like to acknowledge the work put in by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), World Taekwondo, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, and the Rwandan Taekwondo Federation"
Recently, Hakizimana moved out of the refugee camp and went to Kigali to train.
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| Parfait Hakizimana in the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda holds the trophies he has won in taekwondo competitions. / Courtesy of UN Refugee Agency |
To participate in the Tokyo Paralympics, Hakizimana needs his disability reclassification by Aug. 1. As a refugee, it has been hard to receive the necessary visas to travel to tournaments, making classification challenging. World Taekwondo, however, has confirmed that he will be reclassified before the deadline.
Beside Hakizimana, there are five others in the refugee team: Ibrahim Al Hussein, a Syrian refugee living in Greece, competing in swimming; Alia Issa, another Syrian refugee in Greece, competing in athletics; Abbas Karimi, an Afghan refugee from the U.S. competing in swimming; Anas Al Kahlifa, a Syrian refugee from Germany, competing in canoeing; and Shahrad Nasajpourm an Iranian refugee from the U.S. competing in athletics. They will represent more than 82 million people worldwide who have been forced to flee war, persecution, and human rights abuses ― 12 million of whom are living with a disability, according to World Taekwondo.
"These athletes exemplify how change starts with sport," Andrew Parsons, the IPC President, said. "They have suffered life-changing injuries, fled for their safety and undertaken dangerous journeys. But despite the many barriers put in their way, they have become elite athletes ready to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games."
Hakizimana and his teammates will be the first to march inside the Japan National Stadium during the Paralympics' Opening Ceremony. They also honor the legacy of Paralympic Games founder Sir Ludwig Guttman, who, as a refugee, was forced to flee Germany during the 1930s, and, after being welcomed in Britain, founded Paralympic sports.
