Refugee taekwondo athlete Marzieh Hamidi said her "soul and heart" are in Afghanistan despite securing an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship ©Getty Images

Refugee taekwondo athlete Marzieh Hamidi said her "soul and heart" are in Afghanistan despite securing an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Athlete Scholarship.

Hamidi, who is preparing for Paris 2024 in the French capital, added that she wants to win a medal for "all the women of Afghanistan".

Hamidi is part of the Terrains d'Avenir, which uses sport to help refugees and displaced people assimilate into French society.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which has its flagship Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, supports Terrains d'Avenir. 

"I came here (to France) for that," she said, as quoted by Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.

"I left my country because I wanted to be in the Olympics.

"I want a medal for myself, my country and all the women of Afghanistan.

"Also, I want to help people, the refugees, especially the women in my country and around the world."

The under 57-kilograms category athlete was born into an Afghan refugee family in Iran 21 years ago, where she took up taekwondo.

However, a return to Afghanistan in 2019 with the hopes of making it to the national team did not go according to plan for Hamidi.

Islamic extremist group Taliban returned to power in 2021, leading to a crackdown on women's rights, including exclusion from sports.

Marzieh Hamidi is currently training in Paris ©Getty Images
Marzieh Hamidi is currently training in Paris ©Getty Images

"I left Afghanistan because of the Taliban," she said.

"They said that women are not allowed to study, to do sport or to do whatever they want.

"They said that women should stay at home … everything was punished.

"When I went outside in the street and I saw the Taliban, it was more painful for me because, every day, I could see what's happening in my country to my people.

"It's not easy to leave your home, to start from the bottom and rebuild your life.

"As a refugee athlete, when I want to go somewhere out of Europe to compete, they would ask for a visa, and maybe they don't give me the visa.

"This is the problem that I face as a refugee."

Hamidi is eyeing a spot in the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 and is thankful that her family supports her dreams.

The IOC is yet to take a decision on the participation of Afghanistan at the Olympics Games next year.

In an Executive Board meeting last month, the Olympic governing body said "significant progress" must be made to ensure greater access for women and young girls in sport.