Two Afghan Paralympic athletes who missed the start of the Tokyo Games due to the Taliban takeover of their country will get to compete after all, following their arrival in the host city on Saturday night.

At the end of a tumultuous week in which Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli were among those airlifted out of Taliban-controlled Kabul by the Royal Australian Air Force after a co-ordinated rescue effort, the International Paralympic Committee announced in a statement they had arrived in Tokyo.

Khudadadi will be Afghanistan's first female athlete to compete at the Paralympics since Athens 2004.

She will be in time to compete in her normal event, the women's 44-49 kilogram weight class in taekwondo on Thursday. Rasouli was originally entered in the men's 100m T47 class, which was held on Saturday. Having missed that event, Rasouli is now entered in the 400m T47, which will be held on Friday.

Originally, when it looked like the two-person team would not be able to get out of Afghanistan to compete, the IPC organised for the Afghan flag to be paraded at the opening ceremony last Tuesday as a show of unity and support for the pair.

The confirmation of their arrival comes after the pair nearly failed to make it out of Afghanistan.   

Stranded at Kabul's airport, the pair sent a plea for help to an Australian WhatsApp group.

They were cleared by armed forces to enter the protected zone after showing emergency visa documentation from Australia. They were taken to Paris for recuperation, before making the trip to Tokyo. 

The IPC said the two were met in Tokyo at the Paralympic Village by Parsons.

The IPC said they would not be available for interviews and have been given permission to skip the usual press conferences. The Paralympics finish on September 5.

"Twelve days ago we were informed that the Afghan Paralympic team could not travel to Tokyo, a move that broke the hearts of all involved in the Paralympic movement and left both athletes devastated," Parsons said in the statement.

"That announcement kick-started a major global operation that led to their safe evacuation from Afghanistan, their recuperation by France, and now their safe arrival in Tokyo."

Chelsey Gotell, the IPC Athletes' Council chairperson, welcomed them in a statement also provided by the IPC.

"On behalf of their fellow 4,403 Paralympic athletes competing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, I welcome Zakia and Hossain to the Paralympic Village," she said.

"Both athletes have been extremely clear that after years of training they wanted to compete on the biggest stage of all, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

"The fact that so many authorities have combined to make this possible is truly wonderful."

AP/ABC