SINGAPORE – Leaving one’s homeland for a foreign country is a difficult move for anyone.

Afghan taekwondo exponent Rohullah Nikpa has had to do it twice. The first time as a child when his family left Kabul during the civil war to settle in one of Iran’s many refugee camps.

Three years ago, Nikpa again left the country he loved to relocate to Auckland, New Zealand, to be with his wife and daughter after retiring from the sport.

And as the Taliban returned to power in 2021 after United States-led military forces withdrew – two decades after first removing the regime – Nikpa could only watch from afar with sadness.

Throughout his sporting career, he was driven by the desire to bring joy to a war-torn Afghanistan.

He did just that in 2008, when he became the first athlete from there to win an Olympic medal.

The 36-year-old, who is here to compete in the inaugural Olympic Esports Week, told The Straits Times: “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.”

The Olympic Esports Week was declared open at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on Thursday and ends on Sunday.

More than 100 athletes are competing in 10 virtual sports, including taekwondo, baseball and tennis.

Despite being a seasoned taekwondo athlete, this week will be a new experience for Nikpa, who has never tried the virtual version.

Before arriving in Singapore on Thursday, he had practised for it by kicking in front of the mirror.

He said: “For me it’s a totally new experience, I haven’t tried the system yet. The only difference is that there is no physical contact, unlike real taekwondo.”

The first Afghan athlete to compete in the Olympic Esports Week, he has been making history throughout his sports career.

In 2008, many in the country were riveted to their TV screens as Nikpa defeated Spain’s world champion Juan Antonio Ramos to win bronze in the men’s under-58kg taekwondo competition.

It was the first Olympic medal for Afghanistan, and he went on to repeat the feat in London 2012.

He said: “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.”

But his path to the Olympics was not without its challenges.

A fan of Bruce Lee and martial arts movies, Nikpa was introduced to the combat sport at 10 when he followed his brother to a taekwondo club in Kabul.

He had to train on a shoestring budget and his uncle and brother stopped taekwondo in order to support Nikpa’s sporting pursuits. In between lifting weights and practice, Nikpa also worked as a barber.

Noting that the athletes did not have good support from the government, he said: “The only thing that could help me was my love for taekwondo and I love doing something good for my country and people.

“That was the only thing that made me want to exercise properly, to go for competitions and to get a medal for my country and to bring happiness to my people.

“It wasn’t easy at all – from the beginning we had a lot of problems, we had a very bad situation but finally, thank God we could do something for my country.”

After the 2017 world championships, Nikpa decided to call time on his illustrious career.

In order to focus on the sport, he had spent a few years apart from his wife and daughter, who is now six. He then moved to New Zealand to be with them.

While he is no longer competing in taekwondo, he is now back fighting in the virtual version of the sport.

He said: “Taekwondo is my love, taekwondo is my life. Taekwondo has given me everything in my life, that’s why I cannot stop doing taekwondo and stop thinking about it.”