A Paralympic volunteer carries the national flag of Afghanistan during the athletes parade at the opening ceremonies for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday , Aug. 24, 2021. (Joel Marklund for OIS via AP)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two athletes from Afghanistan have arrived in Tokyo to compete in the Paralympics after being safely evacuated from their country, now under the control of the Taliban.

       The two are female para-taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi and male track athlete Hossain Rasouli, who left Afghanistan a week ago and arrived Saturday evening in Tokyo on a flight from Paris, according to Paralympic officials.

       They have started living in the athletes' village and preparing for their competitions, the International Paralympic Committee said in a statement late Saturday.

       "Zakia and Hossain are now in Tokyo to fulfill their dreams, sending out a strong message of hope to many others around the world," IPC President Andrew Parsons said in the statement after meeting with them at the village.

       The IPC had earlier said there was no safe way to bring them to Japan for the Paralympics.

       In a symbol of solidarity with the athletes and people of Afghanistan, the country's flag was carried by a volunteer at the opening ceremony of the games in which about 4,400 athletes with disabilities from around the world are competing.

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