NY Times · Sep 6, 2021
The Moving Moments as the Paralympics Ended
TOKYO — The second and final week of the Paralympics produced some particularly moving moments.
The closing ceremony on Sunday night included two Afghan athletes, Hossain Rasouli and Zakia Khudadadi, who had arrived late to the Games after they were evacuated from their tumultuous home country.
The pair had been replaced by a volunteer flag bearer in the opening ceremony. In competition, Rasouli participated in the long jump after missing his preferred event, the 100 meters, and finished 13th and last, well behind the 12th-place finisher.