Photo by Bo Zhang
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has invited six Afghan athletes – three women and three men – in “consultation with Afghanistan’s largely exiled national Olympic committee.”
However, the spokesman for the Taliban government’s sports directorate, Atal Mashwani, said “only three athletes are representing Afghanistan.” He continued, “in Afghanistan girls’ sports have been stopped. When girls’ sports aren’t practiced, how can they go to the national team?”
All three of the women and two of the men live outside Afghanistan. The women will compete in athletics and cycling. The participants will compete under the black, red and green flag of the old Republic regime.
The Taliban has pushed women out of sports since their takeover in 2021, which the United Nations has described as one aspect of “gender apartheid.”
Source: Taliban don’t recognise women on Afghan Olympic team: sport official
