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sports Diamars 17 augustus 2021

Paralympics follow lead of Olympics: No fans during pandemic

(AP) — All fans will be Aug. 24 with about 4,400 ath- With the situation grow-
barred from the Paralym- letes, a far smaller event than ing worse, Japanese Prime
pics in Japan because of the Olympics with 11,000 Minister Yoshihide Suga on
the coronavirus pandem- athletes. But the Paralympics Monday said a state of emer-
ic, just as they were from come as new infections have gency in Tokyo and other
the recently-completed accelerated in Tokyo, which areas will be extended until
Tokyo Olympics, organiz- may expose an athlete popu- Sept. 12. The state of emer-
ers said Monday. lation that is more vulnerable gency has been in force since
to COVID-19. July 12 and was to end later
There were a few exceptions this month.
made during the Olympics Parsons, speaking at a news
with some fans allowed in conference, said there was no The Paralympics end on
outlying areas away from To- room for complacency in the Sept. 5.
kyo. This time, all fans will wake of the Olympics.
be barred except the possibil- “The surge in infections is
ity of some children attend- “In light of the current case reaching alarming record
ing a few unspecified events. numbers in Tokyo and wider highs,” Suga said after meet- Dr. Haruo Ozaki, president “a minimum necessity” and
Japan, everyone attending ing with other government of the Tokyo Medical Asso- attributed the surge to the
Organizers have also asked these games must be vigi- ministers. ciation, said in an interview delta variant.
the public not to come out to lant,” Parsons said. with regional newspaper To-
view road events. On Friday, Tokyo logged kyo Shimbun published Sat- He called holding the Para-
New infections in Tokyo tri- 5,773 cases, a new high. On urday that a significant num- lympics “a political decision,
The decision was announced pled during the 17 days of the Sunday, the Japanese capi- ber of people are still unvac- but the judgment by the me-
after a meeting with Interna- Olympics, although medi- tal reported 4,295 cases. The cinated, and characterized dial side is that it will be dif-
tional Paralympic Commit- cal experts said the surge was rise in infections has severely the virus situation for the ficult.”
tee president Andrew Par- not directly linked the Tokyo strained the medical system. Paralympics as worse than it
sons, organizing committee Games. Rather, experts sug- Experts say the situation is was during the Olympics. “The Olympics,” Ozaki add-
president Seiko Hashimoto, gested an indirect effect as getting out of control and ed, “is a festival and might
Tokyo Governor Yuriko the public was distracted and some call it “a disaster.” Estimates suggest about 37% have affected the people in
Koike and Olympic Minister lulled into a false sense of se- of the Japanese population ways to loosen up and served
Tamayo Marukawa. curity that staging the Games Japan has attributed 15,400 has been fully vaccinated. as an indirect cause of rising
offered. deaths to COVID-19. cases.”
The Paralympics open on Ozaki called having no fans

Afghanistan's female footballers make tearful calls for help

(AP) — In frantic phone Afghanistan. the Taliban in 2001. Having cause I was quoted on the
calls and voice messages, fled with her family after the national TV,” she said. “I was An exasperated Popal sighs.
Khalida Popal can hear “I have been encouraging to Taliban captured Kabul in calling Taliban our enemy.”
the distress and tearful take down social media chan- 1996, Popal returned to Af- “We would not have created
pleas for help. nels, take down photos, es- ghanistan two decades ago Popal stopped playing in 2011 enemies,” Popal said. “They
cape and hide themselves,” as a teenager who had been to focus on coordinating the are crying. They are just cry-
The football players in the Popal told The Associated living in a refugee camp in team as a director at the Af- ing … they are sad. They are
Afghanistan women’s na- Press in a telephone interview Pakistan. With the protection ghanistan Football Associa- just like desperate. They have
tional team that Popal helped from Denmark. “That breaks of the international commu- tion. But the threats contin- so many questions. What is
establish now fear for their my heart because of all these nity, Popal felt optimistic that ued and she was eventually happening to them isn’t fair.
lives after the Taliban swept years we have worked to raise women’s rights would be forced to flee Afghanistan to
to regain control of the coun- the visibility of women and promoted. seek asylum in Denmark in “They are hiding away. Most
try after two decades. now I’m telling my women 2016. of them left their houses to
in Afghanistan to shut up and “My generation had the hope go to relatives and hide be-
When they call, all Popal can disappear. Their lives are in of building the country, de- “My life was in great danger,” cause their neighbors know
do is advise them to flee their danger.” veloping the situation for the she said. they are players. They are
homes, escape from neigh- next generation of women sitting, they are afraid. The
bors who know them as pio- The 34-year-old Popal can and men in the country,” she But she never abandoned the Taliban is all over. They are
neering players, and try to barely comprehend the speed said. “So I started with other female footballers, helping to going around creating fear.”
erase their history — particu- of the collapse of the Afghan young women using football expose physical and sexual
larly activism against the Tal- government and the sense of as a tool to empower women abuse, death threats and rape Popal is a world away but
iban who are now re-estab- being abandoned by Western and girls.” that implicated the Afghani- connected by the messages
lishing the Islamic Emirate of nations who helped to topple stan federation leadership. pinging into her phone of the
By 2007, there were enough The corruption in the sport Taliban.
players for Popal to be part of was reflective of the shaky
Afghanistan’s first women’s foundations of a country that “They keep taking video and
national team. has deteriorated rapidly af- photos from the window
ter the withdrawal of troops showing they are just outside
“We felt so proud of wearing from the U.S.-led mission. the home and that is very
the jersey,” Popal said. “It was sad,” she said.
the most beautiful, best feel- “The women of Afghanistan
ing ever.” believed in their promise It’s hard to even imagine Af-
but they left because there’s ghanistan, ranked 152nd by
Popal encouraged her team- no more national interest. FIFA out of 167 women’s
mates to use their platforms Why did you promise?” Po- teams, playing again.
to speak out as escalating at- pal asked. “This is what my
tacks were seeing the Taliban girls crying and sending voice “It’s been very painful to wit-
retake territory. messages are saying. Why not ness when yesterday the gov-
say you would leave like this? ernment surrendered,” Popal
“I received so many death At least we could protect our- said. “Women lost hope.”
threats and challenges be- selves.”