Kabul, Afghanistan
Inside a sparkling new pool house off a dusty, bustling street in Afghanistan's
capital, sits a young man with a dream.
Malek Mohammad, an
18-year-old double amputee, has already overcome so many challenges in his
young life, some might be tempted to think he requires no assistance
whatsoever.
But adversity has
made him wise beyond his years, and Malek knows better. His struggle has been a
lonely one.
"I need
support, I need help because I'm representing Afghanistan -- especially
disabled people," says Malek, who more than anything, wants to swim for his
country at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
Landmines took his
legs at age 11 as he was walking through a field near Kabul's airport.
It was while he
was in the hospital that an American visitor noticed Malek and paid for him to
go the United States and get prosthetic limbs made.
During his two
years recovering there, Malek was encouraged to participate in sports and he
learned English. Then he returned to his family in Afghanistan.
Malek's younger
brother, Samandar, beams with pride as he watches his sibling swim the length
of the pool.
"He didn't
lose his courage and power. He is very strong, and I am sure that he can take
part in any competition. I am sure he will be successful and then the whole
world can be proud of him."
At the pool, Malek
shows us how athletics turned his life around, using his arms to lift his body
off the tiles and then dive into the pool.
"I don't have
any coach or any trainer to teach me how to swim, how to prepare for the games,
so I'm doing by myself, because I love swimming," says Malek.
In a country torn
apart by far too many years of war, Malek is far from the only athlete facing
these types of challenges.
Female boxer
trains in stadium where Taliban executed women
"I think the
government of Afghanistan has given the Olympic Committee too little assistance
and enough attention hasn't been paid to it either," says Olympic
Committee member Sami Darayi.
"The budget
that the government has allocated to the Olympic Committee is almost nothing
while we have got more sport federations than a lot of other countries."
To date,
Afghanistan has won a medal at the Olympics only once -- at 2008's Beijing
games when Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in taekwondo.
Nikpai, who was
swimming in the same pool as Malek when we visited, is keenly aware how
difficult it is to excel in athletics in Afghanistan.
"I know that
we don't have enough resources for sportsman in Afghanistan," says Nikpai,
"but the younger generations in this country love sports, so they are
making efforts to try and go out of the country for competitions.
"They want to
bring medals back home. That is why we are not hesitating and making every
possible effort to compete on the worldwide scale."
Malek uses two
pools in the city to practice, but neither are Olympic regulation size.
When he's not
swimming, Malek spends time at the track running and working to stay in shape.
The tough regimen
is rough on his prosthetic limbs and the tread on the bottom of them are
wearing thin. Malik says replacements are impossible to come by in Kabul.
Nikpai is very
happy to see Malek make progress. "He is super smart and full of energy. I
am really hoping for him to compete in the London Paralympics," says
Nikpai.
"Because at
this point he has no legs but is still trying to serve his country in a way
that he thinks he can and that is a very good thing."
Malek has others
encouraging him to chase his Olympic dream. Friends and family also find hope
in him -- something they say is missing in a country torn apart by far too many
years of war.
"I am so
happy to see someone like him, who has no legs, still swimming," says
friend Raza Javed. "And often, even better than other people on the
team."
As Malek waits to
find out if he's earned a spot at the games, he remains optimistic.
He realizes the
odds aren't exactly in his favor, but is sure things are bound to get better.
"I am sure
someday I will have some professional trainer, good teacher, good support and
[be] representing Afghanistan, and that my job will be to bring some medal for
my country."
Malek knows that
whatever happens, in a sense, he's already won.
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