Kamia Yousufi: I am Representing the Stolen Dreams of Afghan Women at the Paris Olympics

On Tuesday (July 9), Yousufi told the Australian Olympic Committee that she represents the girls and women who have been deprived of their right to education under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

She said, "It is an honor to once again represent the girls of my homeland, girls and women who are deprived of their basic rights, including education, which is the most important."

Kamia Yousufi, a sprinter, first participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil and later in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This will be her third appearance in the Olympic Games.

Yousufi’s remarks come as the Taliban announced that they do not recognize the three Afghan female athletes participating in the Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, reacted to the lack of support from the Taliban for Afghan female athletes in the Paris Olympics. He called for support from sports organizations both inside and outside the country.

Bennett posted on X, "Women and girls in Afghanistan have the right to participate in sports. I eagerly await the competition of talented and inspiring Afghan women and men in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris."

Previously, the spokesperson for the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, now under Taliban control, stated that the committee does not recognize the three women participating in the Paris Olympics and only acknowledges the three male representatives of Afghanistan.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin on July 26 and continue until August 11, three women will represent Afghanistan in cycling and sprinting. Three men will also participate, with two joining from abroad.

Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, women's sports have been banned in the country, and many female athletes have left and are living in exile.