Afghanistan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games flag-bearer Farzad Mansouri has been flown out of Afghanistan.
In an exclusive interview with The National, the 19-year-old Taekwondo champion confirmed on a call that he and four members of his family departed Kabul on Monday morning and are now in a safe location, where they are considering their options.
One athlete I know has been going to the airport in Kabul for several days. He said that he was hurt, he tried to get near the airport but he was badly injured
Farzad Mansouri
Just one month ago, in what was undoubtedly one of the proudest moments of his life, Mr Mansouri paraded his nation’s flag at the opening ceremony of 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
He had no idea that just a few weeks later, that honour would put him in grave danger.
Taliban sport crackdown
“I was under threat because the Taliban hates the past government, and I was a flag-bearer for them,” Mr Mansouri said.
The Taliban have swept to victory in Afghanistan, completing their shockingly rapid advance across the country by capturing Kabul, Mr Mansouri's home city, on August 15.
It comes after foreign forces announced their withdrawal following a deal between the US and the Taliban, two decades after US forces removed the militants from power in 2001.
The suddenness of the Taliban's advance sparked a rush to escape the country, with tens of thousands of Afghans and foreign civilians attempting to board flights at Kabul airport.
When the Taliban previously held power between 1996 and 2001, Afghanistan was banned from participating in the Olympics because of the militants' discrimination against women and prohibition of sports of any kind.
As soon as areas across the country began falling to the Taliban, Mr Mansouri sought ways to escape Afghanistan.
After a harrowing wait, he managed to secure an flight out with several members of his family. But, like so many others, Mr Mansouri is wracked with concern for those who have been left behind.
“It is really difficult. We have all cried, days and nights, about this situation,” said Mr Mansouri.
Mr Mansouri said he is in touch with other elite athletes who are among the thousands still trying to leave.
“One athlete I know has been going to the airport in Kabul for several days. He said that he was hurt, he tried to get near the airport but he was badly injured.”
Relieved that he and his immediate family are safe, Mr Mansouri still faces an uncertain future. At just 19, his dreams of continuing to represent Afghanistan are crushed.
He now faces the challenge of trying to find a new home for him and his family.
Mr Mansouri has a brother with British citizenship who lives in the UK, but it is not clear that he will be accepted under the UK’s current resettlement scheme.
“Right now it's not clear, but I want to go to a country that can support me and my family, and of course, I want to keep up my sport.”
At only 19, there are no limits as to what Mr Mansouri can achieve. In 2018 and 2019 he topped the podium in the Korean and Indian junior opens, respectively, and in 2019 he picked up a silver medal in the Asian Junior Taekwondo Championship in Amman.
However, like so many other Afghan athletes, Mr Mansouri’s energies will now be focused on finding a place where he and his family can live safely and free from persecution.
Honeymoonish
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
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- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
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- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
