Kabul: Noura had such a burning desire to participate in sports that she defied her family's prohibition for years. He never let the beatings of his mother or the ridicule of his neighbors stop him from playing his favorite sports.
However, the 20-year-old Afghan woman was unable to overthrow the Taliban regime in her country. Noura and other women claim that not only have they outlawed all sports for women and girls, but they have also actively bullied and harassed those who had previously participated, often singling them out Used to scare even to practice.
Naura is completely devastated now. She admitted, "I'm not that person anymore. I feel like I'm dead since the Taliban came," she said.
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Girls and women who play a variety of sports claim that the Taliban have sent them threatening calls and visits, asking them not to participate in their sports. The women and girls spoke on the condition of anonymity that they may receive more threats.
He posed for an AP photographer while holding gear from the sports he liked for the portraits. Burqas, elaborate garments and hoods that completely cover the face and allow only a net to be seen, were used to conceal their identity.
She claimed that although she did not normally wear a burqa, she now sometimes does when she goes out and wishes to remain anonymous to avoid harassment.
The Taliban's growing campaign of sanctions, which has completely shut down life for girls and women, includes a ban on sports.
Girls are not allowed to attend middle and high school since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021. He also ordered the expulsion of all women from universities last month.
The Taliban forbids women from visiting parks or gyms and demands that they cover their faces and hair when out in public. They have severely restricted women's ability to work outside the home, and more recently, they have banned women from working for nongovernmental organizations, which can disrupt the critical flow of aid. Is.
Even before the Taliban, women's sports were opposed by many in Afghanistan's deeply conservative society, who saw them as an insult to women's decency and their place in society.
Nevertheless, there were previous, internationally supported government initiatives to support female athletes in a variety of sports, as well as school leagues, club and national teams.
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A 20-year-old mixed martial artist recalled participating in a regional women's tournament in August of 2021 at a sports hall in Kabul. Word spread among spectators and participants that the Taliban were on the outskirts of the city. The women and girls all left the room. This was Serena's last game in the tournament.
He claimed that he tried to give the girls private lessons months later. They were all taken into custody when Taliban fighters stormed the gym where they were exercising.
Sarina claimed that the girls faced humiliation and mockery in custody. He was finally released after mediation by elders and agreed to stop playing the game.
She continues to train at home and occasionally instructs close friends. She said, "Life has been very difficult for me, but I am a fighter, so I will keep fighting and keep winning."
A separate sports complex for women is being built, according to Mushwanaya, a spokesman for the Taliban's National Olympic Committee and sports organization.
However, he did not provide any time frame and said that the funds were needed. Taliban officials have repeatedly made similar promises, but they have not yet allowed girls in grade 7 and above to return to school.
Noura has struggled to participate in sports all her life. Noura began her football career playing in the street with neighborhood boys after her parents moved from the provinces and raised her in an underprivileged area of Kabul. When she was nine, a coach spotted her and encouraged her to join the girls' youth team.
He hid it from everyone except his father, but his own genius let him down. When she was 13 she was named the top female soccer player in her age group and her name and picture were shown on television.
It is a good day for a girl everywhere and she is at height of happiness when her picture comes on TV and she becomes famous. "That day was the beginning of some bad days for me," she said.
His mother beat him in a fit of rage for yelling at him to stop playing football. He continued to play in secret but became public once again after his team won the national championship and his picture appeared in the media. His mother hit him once again.
She slayed at the award ceremony nonetheless. She sobbed on stage as the audience applauded. She claimed that only she knew that she was crying because of her loneliness and hard life.
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Her mother burned her soccer gear and shoes as soon as she learned the truth. After giving up soccer, Noura started boxing. She said her mother eventually gave in after realising she couldn't stop her from participating in sports.
She claimed that on the day the Taliban took over Kabul, her coach told her mother to have Noura go to the airport so she could be flown out of the country.
Noura claimed that her mother withheld the message from her as she did not want her to depart. Noura claimed that she cut her wrists and had to be taken to the hospital after learning the message too late to escape.
For me, the world had grown dim," she remarked. Three months later, a Taliban member threatened the woman over the phone by calling the family. "They questioned why I played sports. There are no sports allowed," she recalled.
She fled Kabul in terror, hiding herself in her burqa as she made her way to the town where her family was from. She eventually came back, but she is still terrified.
She said, "Even though my life was challenging, I used to have faith in myself and knew that, with effort, I could do what I wanted. "I don't have as much hope now,"