Under the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, women are forbidden from competing in sports.
When the harsh regime took over following , Yulduz and Fariba Hashimi didn’t know if they’d be able to continue cycling, let alone qualify for the Paris Olympics.
They were able to continue their training with the help of a friend who mentored them when they fled to Italy. They now live in Switzerland.
The siblings are the first cyclists to represent Afghanistan and the Olympics. And when they compete in the road race on Sunday (10pm AEST), they hope their efforts will show the world another side of women from Afghanistan.
“I want to represent the 20 million Afghan women who lack even the most basic rights,” Yulduz told the Reuters news agency.
“I hope to be their voice and show the world the conditions Afghan women face and how, despite these challenges, they can achieve great feats.”
Yulduz and Fariba, 21, grew up in Faryab, a deeply conservative, northern province bordering Turkmenistan.
When the sisters decided to enter a local cycling competition as teenagers they did not even know how to ride a bike and had to borrow one to learn.
“No one ever thought that women would ride bicycles in Faryab,” Fariba told Reuters.
“We thought it would be a small contest, but it caused quite a stir.”
Their family were supportive but they were worried for their safety while riding in an area where it was very unusual to see women cycling, and took to training at night.
They recall having stones thrown at them by people who didn’t think women should be cycling alongside men.
The Afghanistan team, which has sent six athletes to Paris, was drawn up following talks between the International Olympic Committee and senior figures from Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee living in exile.
Under the Taliban, women’s participation in sport, as well as education and the workforce has effectively been banned. Less than a month after taking power, that playing sport exposes women’s faces and bodies, and goes against Islamic values.
With additional reporting by Reuters.
Source Agencies
