Nikpa, winner of Olympic bronze medals in the 58 kilograms category at Beijing 2008 and the 68kg category at London 2012, retired from the sport following the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.

He is back competing in the sport, albeit in a virtual format, at the first ever Olympic Esports Week, which concluded yesterday at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Center.

Although he did not make it on to the podium, Nikpa told The Straits Times prior to competing that taekwondo was his life.

"Taekwondo is my love, taekwondo is my life," he said.

"Taekwondo has given me everything in my life, that’s why I cannot stop doing taekwondo and stop thinking about it."

Following his retirement Nikpa relocated from Afghanistan to be with his wife and daughter in Auckland in New Zealand.

He also had to leave the country as a child, with his family fleeing Kabul during the civil war to settle in a refugee camp in Iran.

Afghanistan is currently controlled by the Taliban, and on Wednesday (June 21) the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was "extremely concerned" by the country’s restrictions on sport, following an Executive Board meeting.

The IOC warned it had not decided whether Afghanistan would feature at the Paris 2024 Olympics and called for "significant progress" to be made to ensure greater access for women and young girls in sport.

Talking about the situation in his home country Nikpa said: "It’s not easy seeing the situation that people have.

"I didn’t want to leave Afghanistan - no one likes to leave their homeland. 

"They like to stay in their country and do something for their people.

"When I see the situation, the people are suffering, it’s not easy for me. 

"I hope one day everything will be changed and we will have a safe country and we will see peace in our country."

Nikpa was introduced to taekwondo at the age of 10 when he followed his brother to a taekwondo club in Kabul.

He trained on a very limited budget and worked as a barber around practice and training.

Reflecting on his Olympic successes Nikpa recalled: "Winning the Olympic medal in 2008 totally changed my life.

"I became famous in my country and the Afghan people, all around the world.

"Even when I travelled somewhere, especially taekwondo players knew me, they wanted to take a photo with me.

"The first one was absolutely memorable and unforgettable for Afghan people - I’m very happy that I repeated it in the next Olympics."

The IOC described the first Olympic Esports Week as "a celebration of inclusivity and diversity", and future editions may give Nikpa the chance to showcase his ability and continue the sport he loves, on a virtual stage.