2023-09-29 17:07:08
Hangzhou (China) (AFP) – Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi, who lives in exile in Australia, explained Friday her presence at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, by the desire to “represent Afghan girls”, banned from sport in their country by the Taliban.
Published on: 09/29/2023 – 7:07 p.m.
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Yousofi, who moved to Australia in August 2022, is one of 14 Afghan athletes registered in Hangzhou. All live abroad and were able to travel to the Asian Games with the help of foreign sports federations.
“The most important thing for me is to represent our girls in Afghanistan,” said the athlete, 27, who carried the flag of the Afghan delegation at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021.
Since the return to power of the Taliban, a week following the end of the Tokyo Games, women’s practice of sport has been banned.
In Hangzhou, Yousofi, wearing a black scarf framing his face and a pink t-shirt, lined up in the 100 meters. She finished last in her series on Friday in 13 seconds 32, almost two seconds behind the best time. But her presence, she says, goes beyond just sporting issues. “(I am) here to represent Afghan girls who do not have access to education and sports,” she explained.
And asked if she had a message for them, the sprinter replied: “They have to work on their own. That means reading books, whatever they need on a personal level.”
© 2023 AFP
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