Mountains of responsibility

When Afghan snowboarder Ahmad Romal Hayat walked behind Nizaruddin Ali Zada, his teammate, student and the nation's flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 9th Winter Asian Games in Harbin, recollections of him hiking breathlessly behind Ali Zada for hours on the mountain slopes in Afghanistan, just to make a one-minute descent, suddenly flooded his memory.

"When I was walking, I was looking at him from behind. I was remembering those steps that have brought us here," the 30-year-old said, voice cracking with emotion.

"We're not going to get any medal here, but our presence is making history."

To represent the Afghan people for the first time at the Games is a huge thing for the three snowboarders.

"We are proud that we came through a lot of suffering to reach this point, and I hope that, by making our mark on the international stage, the Afghan people, especially the young people in a country plagued by war and conflict, can see hope."

There are still no lift facilities in the mountains where the snowboarders practice. They have to hike back up to the top after each run — a tiring process.

Also, Hayat said, there aren't enough snowboards and binders.

As a teenager, he started out on a skateboard. In 2008, he was introduced to snowboarding and, in 2017, became founder of the Afghanistan Snowboarding Federation.

Between 2018 and 2021, snowboarding had become one of the fastest growing winter sports in the country, and was arguably, one of the fastest growing sports in general.

The team also received a lot of support from the international snowboarding community, Hayat said.

In 2021, the Taliban returned to power in the conflict-ravaged country, and the situation suddenly changed. For various reasons, training had become impossible, so they were forced to leave the country to train, he added.

In spite of this, Hayat was there to coach his teammate Ahmad Mushtaba Habibzi as he participated in the men's snowboard slopestyle event at Yabuli Ski Resort on Saturday. When he stood at the starting point to support Habibzi, he said he was inspired by the Games' spirit of sportsmanship.

"It doesn't matter if you can do good tricks, what matters is somebody is waiting for you, to tell you to go for it and take the opportunity to do your best," Hayat said.

Habibzi, 33, finished 10th in the men's snowboard slopestyle qualifiers.

"Please pinch me, I still cannot believe it's true," he said after his run.

In 1995, when he was just four-years-old, the Habibzi family fled Kabul for Toronto, Canada, but his journey as a snowboarder began just 10 years ago.

"In 2015, I was going through a low point in my life.

"All my Canadian friends used to go out clubbing and I didn't join them, because I don't drink alcohol. I was lonely and miserable, and it was then that I decided to take up snowboarding in my spare time," Habibzi said.

"I live in Ontario, near the Blue Mountains, and I bought a season pass and used to go regularly. Today, after 10 years, I have competed and gained enough experience to be able to proudly represent Afghanistan," Habibzi said.

He explained that he hopes their performances on the slopes can bring young, struggling Afghans hope. "They can see us here and say 'wait, these young Afghans are doing it, why can't I?' We want to give them a little bit of hope.

"It's just a matter of putting your head down and grinding. Don't take no for an answer and just keep pushing."

Habibzi said taking part in the opening ceremony of the Games was akin to a dream.

"I couldn't believe it was happening, and to be the first country to walk out. (The welcome) was so heartwarming and heartfelt. And it's just a huge accomplishment — the biggest in my life.

The team picked Ali Zada — the youngest snowboarder on the team — as the flagbearer because he represents the future of their country, Habibzi said.

At the end of the day, the team is here fighting for peace, Hayat explained.

"Actually, the world should do the same thing.

"The politicians should learn from sports. They should fight for peace and create better opportunities for the next generation."

Although the situation for snowboarders remains tough in Afghanistan, the federation still runs a training program for a group of youngsters, Hayat said.

"I am sure there will be Afghan snowboarders at the Winter Olympics in the future," Ali Zada added.

The trio's next challenge will be the men's snowboard halfpipe competitions on Wednesday.

"Now we have something on our shoulders," said Hayat. "We made history by being at the Games, but we have to keep going."