Fariba Rezaei Calls for Sanctions of Taliban Representatives at Paris Olympics

​Ms. Rezaei told the media: "How can it be that women and girls in Afghanistan do not even have the right to play sports, yet the Taliban are allowed to send an all-male sports team to the Paris Olympics?"

Referring to her experience at the 2004 Athens Olympics, she said: "Competing in those games was the greatest experience I've ever had. I was honored to be chosen to be the first woman to represent Afghanistan at the Olympics in the country's history."

Ms. Rezaei added: "The Olympics weren't the only thing on my mind; more than that, Afghanistan was just emerging from turmoil at the time and it was a new day for us. In those years, many girls were inspired to take up sports because for them it was more than just sports, it was freedom and for women's rights to be recognized and for Afghan women to return to the world stage and show the world that Afghan sportswomen are present and important."

Emphasizing the role of sport in her life, she said: "Sport gave me the energy to fight for my rights."

Ms. Rezaei went on to say, referring to the presence of the Afghan men's cricket team at the Olympics: "If the Afghan women's cricket team is not present at these games, the men's team should not participate either."

It is worth noting that a number of Afghan female athletes are expected to compete at the Paris Olympics under the Refugee Team flag. The International Olympic Committee has also announced that for the first time at the Paris Olympics, the quota for female and male athletes will be divided equally (50-50).