For the first time in its country’s history, Afghanistan has swimmers registered to compete at the FINA World Championships.
The Afghanistan National Swimming Federation registered two swimmers, Mohammad Ebrahim Rajabi and Hamid Rahmi, for the upcoming FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
“This was a dream for all Afghans to have a chance to participate in the World Championships in swimming,” said Afghanistan National Swimming Federation Secretary General Sayed Sajad Aghazada in an interview with FINA. “Participating in such a great and high level swimming Championships is a chance for the Federation and its swimmers to engage more in the swimming world and show that Afghanistan is now ready to be part of all international events.”
He went on to state that Afghanistan’s goal is to have three Afghan swimmers, 2 men and 1 woman, competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Rajabi and Rahmi both hold national records and have participated in the South Asia and Central Swimming Championships. According to FINA, they expressed their belief that swimming plays a crucial role in mobilizing Afghani people and bringing peace to their country.