As Taliban Take Over, Afghanistan's Athletes See Their Dreams Squashed

Sportspersons, like Rashid Khan and Khalida Popal, have called for peace and help.

File Image of the Afghanistan women's football team.

Image: PTI 

Calls of distress, cries for help and more desperation – Afghanistan and her people are being put through what is possibly the worst tragedy the country could have experienced.

Following the withdrawal of a majority of US troops on 1 May, the Taliban advanced rapidly across the country, capturing city after city, finally reaching Kabul where they took over the presidential palace. The Taliban, remember, had been ousted from Kabul 20 years ago by the United States after the 11 September attacks.

The collapse of the Afghanistan government and the takeover by the Taliban has placed a question mark on the future of the country.

While heartbreaking images and videos have flooded social media, those outside the country can only pray that their friends and family escape the violence.

Sportspersons, like Rashid Khan and Khalida Popal, absolute legends in their fields, have called for peace.

The Taliban takeover also means that there will be no Afghanistan representation at the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.

Women Footballers’ Lives in Danger

One of the biggest impacts in women’s football in Afghanistan has been that of Khalida Popal, who is currently in Denmark. She had to flee Afghanistan to seek asylum in Denmark in 2016 after she received threats.

In light or darkness, off the travesty that has befallen her country, Popal has asked women footballers to do all they can to hide.

“I have been encouraging to take down social media channels, take down photos, escape and hide themselves,” Popal was quoted as saying by AP.

“It breaks my heart because all these years we have worked to raise the visibility of women and now I’m telling my women in Afghanistan to shut up and disappear. Their lives are in danger.”

Popal had fled when the Taliban captured Afghanistan in 1996 and returned as a teenager, becoming a crucial part of the women’s football structure.

Popal was part of the country’s first women’s team in 2007 but stopped playing four years later.

“My generation had the hope of building the country, developing the situation for the next generation of women and men in the country,” she said. “So, I started with other young women, using football as a tool to empower women and girls. We felt so proud of wearing the jersey,” Popal said. “It was the most beautiful, best feeling ever.”

“It was very painful to see the government surrender. Women lost hope,” Popal said.

And while the women footballers look for safety, members of the Afghanistan FA fear the backlash of the Taliban for promoting women’s football.

In just over 10 years, the Afghanistan women’s football team have played 19 games and won 8 of them. Currently, they stand ranked 152nd by FIFA out of 167 women’s teams.

Paralympic Dreams Dashed

Taekwondo fighter Zakia Khudadadi was picked along with discus thrower Hossain Rasouli in a two-person Afghanistan contingent for the Paralympics. Zakia was set to become the country's first woman Paralympian.

However, it was reported on Monday that neither athlete was able to fly out of the country on their planned flight and will miss the games.

Arian Sadiqi, the Afghan chef de mission, said Khudadadi and Rasouli was expected to arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday. “Unfortunately due to the current upheaval going on in Afghanistan the team could not leave Kabul in time,” he told Reuters.

According to Sadiqi, the players attempted to book flights but were unable to do so when costs skyrocketed as the Taliban seized control of a number of cities.

“This would have been the first woman Afghan taekwondo player to take part. This was history in the making. She was very passionate to compete. Zakia would have been a great role model for the rest of the females in the country," he added.

Cricketers Seek Help

While women footballers, taekwondo fighters and discus throwers face the problems put forth due to the sudden change, the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi have pleaded with the world to save their nation.

The two cricketers, who turn out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, took to social media asking for peace and help.

Rashid has also asked people to donate to his Rashid Khan Foundation and Afghanistan Cricket Association to help all those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)