The International Olympic Committee officially rejected the Taliban’s appeal to participate in the 2000 Sydney Olympics on the basis that the Taliban militia is not internationally recognized as a legitimate ruling group. The IOC defends its decision on the grounds that the Taliban’s full-beard requirement for male athletes directly contradicts IOC clean-shaven regulations. Yet in the IOC’s decision, it failed to cite its own code of ethics that prohibits “discrimination between participants on the basis ofÉsex,” a code which the Taliban clearly violates due to its strict system of gender apartheid. Meanwhile, Taliban members argue that the IOC is discriminating against them for not including women athletes among their proposed Olympic delegation. Such an argument is ironic coming from an extremist militia that routinely discriminates against Afghan women and girls.
Uncategorized
