STORY: Afghan wushu team gears up for Hangzhou Asian Games
DATELINE: Sept. 11, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:46
LOCATION: Kabul
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of training
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): MOHAMMAD KHALID HOTAK, Wushu athlete
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): MOHAMMAD KHALID HOTAK, Wushu athlete
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): GULGUL SHAH KHALID, Coach

STORYLINE:

At a Kabul-based training hall, six Afghan athletes competed in pairs to practice martial arts with limited equipment amid roasting weather, fully prepared for the 19th Asian Games that opens on Sept. 23 in China's Hangzhou.

Mohammad Khalid Hotak, 30, is one of the most prominent wushu athletes on the team.

He will join the men's Sanda 70 kg competition in Hangzhou.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): MOHAMMAD KHALID HOTAK, Wushu athlete
"Wushu's discipline is a message of peace, intimacy and friendship, and it creates peace and brotherhood.
I have competed with champions from China four times. It is a very good experience for me, and it also allows me to understand the skills of Chinese players."

Hotak said that wushu is a relatively small sport in Afghanistan. Competing and winning tournaments, championships and other games is the only way for them to earn a living in this profession.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): MOHAMMAD KHALID HOTAK, Wushu athlete
"There are 11 people in our family. My father gave me the greatest support. I'm delighted to continue participating in this sport."

Afghanistan's national wushu team will send four athletes, a coach and a team leader to compete in wushu Sanda, a fighting system based on traditional kung fu and modern combat techniques.

Established in 2000, the Afghanistan Wushu Federation has registered more than 6,000 wushu athletes from 28 provinces.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): GULGUL SHAH KHALID, Coach
"We have 44 athletes involved in the national team's training daily."

Afghanistan plans to send 17 sports teams, including wushu, football, volleyball and cricket, to participate in the Asian Games.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kabul.
(XHTV)