PARIS, France (Oct. 16, 2024) - After her stunning success at Paris 2024 where she became the Refugee Paralympic Team’s first-ever medallist at a Paralympic Games, Para Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi has received the 1st International Award at the 4th Alice Milliat Trophy Ceremony.
The ceremony at Paris City Hall honoured people and organisations who promote gender equality through initiatives that grow women’s sport.
Seven trophies were presented, with Khudadadi recognised with the International Award for her inspiring story leading up to her bronze medal in the Para Taekwondo women’s -47kg K44 competition at Paris 2024.
Shortly before Tokyo 2020, Khudadadi fled to France following the Taliban’s takeover, and become the first female athlete from her country to compete at a Paralympic Games for 16 years.
Despite the huge challenges she has faced, Khudadadi’s career has gone from strength-to-strength with a gold medal at 2023 European Para Championships in Rotterdam as a refugee team athlete and a historic bronze at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
Khudadadi hopes her award at the Alice Milliat Trophies stands as a symbol for freedom for Afghan women.
“My Paralympic medal is not just a personal achievement, it’s a collective medal, a symbol for the millions of Afghan women, and for the millions of refugees that are disabled. It’s a symbol of Freedom, Equality and Peace. We are together so that Freedom comes back in my country,” she said.
Pierre Rabadan, the Paris Deputy Mayor in charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, presented Khudadadi with her trophy, and expressed his pride at the full chain of solidarity that enabled her to leave Afghanistan and find a new home to practice Taekwondo.
“Zakia is a symbol of what women can do if they get support, and even beyond what she can imagine,” he said.
The Alice Milliat Trophies were established by the Alice Milliat Foundation in 2021. Alice Milliat was an early pioneer of gender equality and women’s sport.
World Taekwondo is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for women and men and using Taekwondo as a tool for women’s empowerment. It has taken many huge strides in this regard, including becoming the first sport to have an equal number of male and female referees at an Olympic Games at Rio 2016.
