DIRECTIONS – The Taliban group prohibits women from exercising or being athletes. Indeed, according to him, their clothes will be more revealing and it will be difficult to wear the burqa during sport.
As a result of this decision, 41 Afghan refugees were evacuated to Canada. They chose to flee their country.
Among the refugees was a cyclist who requested anonymity for security reasons. She said she was afraid of becoming a female athlete in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country.
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“It’s really hard to explain because the main reason I left Afghanistan was that I didn’t feel safe as an athlete. I exercise in Afghanistan, but it’s not safe at the moment. I was forced to leave my country, “he said on September 9, 2021.
In addition, he wants to prove that women are also capable of being athletes.
Before the cyclist decided to move to Canada, the Afghan national women’s soccer team had already been evacuated.
Also read: Kabul universities in Afghanistan almost empty after new Taliban rules
Former Afghan assistant coach Haley Carter said the motley group managed to evacuate 86 Afghan athletes, officials and their families to safety.
Carter teams up with former team captain Khalida Popal. Popal explains how sport is a channel in the ongoing struggle for women’s rights.
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