Taliban government denies recognition of Afghan female athletes at Paris Olympics 2024
The Taliban government of Afghanistan has refused to recognize the country's female athletes participating in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. This decision comes despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) inviting a team of six Afghan athletes, including three women, to compete in the games.
According to a spokesperson for the Taliban's sports department, the government only recognizes the three male athletes who are participating in the Olympics and has denied any involvement with the female athletes.
“Only three athletes are representing Afghanistan. Currently, in Afghanistan, girls’ sports have been stopped. When girls’ sport isn’t practiced, how can they go on the national team?” said Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government’s sports directorate (via AFP).
“We only take the responsibility for three male athletes participating in the Olympics,” added Mashwani, claiming that the Taliban are taking care of male athletes’ training and scholarships.
The IOC, however, has maintained that it has not consulted with Taliban officials about the team and has only worked with Afghanistan's national Olympic committee, which is largely based in exile. IOC’s spokesperson Mark Adams claimed that the president and secretary-general of Afghanistan’s NOC are “its sole interlocutors for the preparation and participation of the Afghan team.”
The committee's CEO, Dad Mohammad Payenda Akhtari, who lives in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, claimed that the coordination was done with the Taliban over male candidates.
What happened last time when the Taliban ruled over Afghanistan during the Olympics?
The six Afghan athletes, including three women, will compete under the flag of the former Western-backed government, which was ousted by the Taliban in 2021. The women will participate in athletics and cycling events, while the men will compete in judo, athletics, and swimming.
This is not the first time Afghanistan has faced issues with the Olympics. In 1999, the country was banned from participating in the games during the Taliban's previous rule from 1996 to 2001. After the Taliban's ouster, Afghanistan was reinstated, but the Paris Games mark the first summer Olympics since their return to power.
The IOC has taken a different approach this time, approving the Afghan team under a system that ensures all 206 nations are represented, even if their athletes do not meet the qualifying standards. However, the Taliban government's denial of recognition for female athletes has raised concerns about the state of women's sports in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, women's sports have been severely curtailed, with girls' sports being stopped altogether. The Taliban government has also enforced restrictions on women's education, banning them from attending secondary schools and universities.