Australia evacuated more than 50 female Afghan athletes and their dependents after lobbying by infamous figures from the sporting world, the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) reported on Tuesday.
Australia has for more than a week been evacuating its electorate and some of its broken-down workers from its embassy after the Taliban seized preserve a watch on of the capital, Kabul, on Aug. 15.
About 1,000 of us hold been evacuated on Australian flights and the ABC reported that among them were about 50 female athletes and their dependents, after their spot had drawn the abet of a few infamous broken-down sporting figures.
Notably, gamers establish their lives in worry to reach Kabul airport. They were compelled to opt their possibilities working past Taliban checkpoints, some struggling beatings and having to steer clear of gunfire to reach the relative safety of the airport.
FIFPRO, the worldwide affiliation for legitimate footballers that has also been heavily concerned in efforts to earn the athletes out, confirmed the crew evacuation without giving numbers.
“We’re grateful to the Australian authorities for evacuating a expansive different of girls americans footballers and athletes from Afghanistan,” FIFPRO mentioned in a observation.
“These younger ladies americans, each as athletes and activists, hold been in a situation of hazard and on behalf of their chums around the realm we thank the realm crew for coming to their relief.”
Khalida Popal, a broken-down Afghan ladies americans’s crew captain now dwelling in Denmark, hailed a extremely crucial victory.
“The girls americans footballers hold been dauntless and sturdy in a 2d of disaster and we hope they’re going to hold a a lot bigger lifestyles out of doors Afghanistan,” she mentioned.
Nikki Dryden, who swam for Canada at two Olympic Games, labored with an Australian licensed legitimate to entire the visa purposes for the athletes, who incorporated two Afghan Paralympians.
Amid fears a chronic visa job would scupper the belief, the refugee advocates secured the merit of Australia’s broken-down soccer captain, Craig Foster, the ABC reported.
The ABC mentioned Foster lobbied Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Sports activities Minister Richard Colbeck.
Soon in a while, the athletes secured visas after which managed to present it to the airport in Kabul for an evacuation flight out of Afghanistan.
FIFPRO thanked Foster and Dryden, among others, for their spherical-the-clock efforts and told the realm crew to present obvious the gamers got the merit they wanted in their fresh lives.
“There are also many athletes unruffled in worry in Afghanistan and each effort wants to be made to offer them abet,” it added.
