Tokyo, Japan - The national flag of Afghanistan will be flying high during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games which are set to begin this week.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made the announcement on Monday, with the ceremony scheduled to take place in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The president of the IPC, Andrew Parsons (44) remarked during an official press conference to the Associated Press that this action will be purely a "sign of solidarity" with the country in crisis.

He also added that a representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees would have the honor of carrying the Afghan flag among the 162 delegations, into the stadium during the festivities. In these games, refugee athletes will be competing as part of the approximately 4,400 total athletes who are expected to attend.

Afghanistan is in turmoil after the US military and its allies finally withdrew from the country after a 20-year war. Their exit made way for the Taliban, who abruptly took control of the area. Traveling out of the country is very dangerous if not impossible, especially for Afghan citizens.

Previously, Afghanistan had planned to send a small delegation to Tokyo, including two Paralympic athletes, but that's no longer possible after control of the country shifted. Zakia Khudadadi, a para-taekwondo athlete and discus thrower Hossain Rasouli, are the two who were unable to travel.

The 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Summer Games begin on August 24 and will close on September 5, 2021.