I'm on vacation at the moment, in Jamaica - blogging in the middle of a hurricane! This is a new and interesting experience, to say the least. As I browsed through the web, and simultaneously wiped my laptop free of rain every few seconds, my attention was grabbed by this lovely story from the BBC. As the linked article reports, Afghanistan's first Olympic medallist, Rohullah Nikpai, returned home today and received a hero's welcome. 
Even during his layover in Delhi, he was paraded through the airport and decorated with flower garlands - and when he arrived in Kabul he was met by the country's Vice-President, and then driven through the streets in a open-top truck to the national stadium, which was packed with well-wishers. Nikpai won a bronze in Taekwondo, which is a hugely popular sport in today's Afghanistan, with more than 700 clubs training around 25,000 athletes. And it looks set to become more popular with this Olympic success. (Afghanistan's previous best performance in the Olympics was a fifth placed wrestler in 1964.) As Nikpai said "I hope this medal will bring a better future for my country, both in terms of peace and friendship... what matters is showing the world that our flag can rise as well." (Photo from BBC online.)
Friday, August 29, 2008
323: Afghan Olympian given hero's welcome
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2 comments:
As ever, this is great news! Along with story 321 about tourism in Iraq, it reveals the human side of 'nation-building' in places that really need it, and shows how important it is.
When people think of what inspires loyalty to their institutions and fellow citizens, international sporting success and international appeal to tourists are just as likely to encourage hope and demonstrate progress as a more functional postal service or re-surfaced market road. Harder to generate from outside, admittedly, but an interesting lesson for aid agencies, perhaps...?
.... and, to test the theory, would Jamaica be better off with another Usain Bolt or without hurricanes?
... actually, looking at the weather forecast for Jamaica, I hope you're OK.... ??
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