Friba Rezayee, Afghanistan’s first female Olympian, is urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Afghanistan from the Paris Games due to the Taliban’s human rights abuses, especially against women. Rezayee, a judoka who competed in the 2004 Olympics, believes allowing Afghanistan to participate would be dangerous given the Taliban’s treatment of women.
She advocates for Afghan women to participate under the IOC Refugee Olympic Team if a ban is imposed. The Taliban, while claiming to respect women’s rights according to their interpretation of Islamic law, have implemented restrictions on women’s education, travel, and access to public spaces.
The IOC is in talks with Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee to address restrictions on women’s access to sports. The IOC believes isolating the Afghan sporting community is not the right approach.
Rezayee feels her efforts to advance women’s rights through sports have been undone by the Taliban’s resurgence and the IOC’s response. She expresses disappointment at the lack of progress for women in Afghanistan and the world’s tolerance of the Taliban’s actions.
