“MThe message for all Afghan women who play is: if there is even a small opportunity, take it,” says Samira Asghari. “My clear message is: never give up. Unfortunately, Afghanistan has always been a war-torn country. We grew up in a war country. And we believe in a future Afghanistan, and the future of Afghanistan is its people.”
Asghari is 31, the youngest member of the International Olympic Committee and an exile from her home. Living in Europe, her role requires her to work to end current restrictions that prevent Afghan women and girls from participating in sport. The people she has to negotiate with are the Taliban.
There are easier jobs, but Asghari says Afghans have long been used to life being tough. “If you ask anyone on the street if they are happy, they say, ‘It’s OK, no one is killing each other.’” But she argues that the desire for reform in the country remains and is only growing, and she believes progress can be made before the next Olympics by focusing on grassroots changes.
“For 2028 and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, I really hope that we can develop sports for schools and invest in girls’ sports in Afghanistan.” Girls are now allowed to go to school until the sixth year, she says, but facilities for sports (teachers, equipment) are scarce. “My hope is that we can reach a negotiating point with the Taliban, to develop sports and primary school for girls, so that at least tomorrow the new generation will understand what basketball is, what football is, what taekwondo is. That is really my goal.”
Since December 2022, the IOC has been in “ongoing dialogue” with Taliban-controlled Afghan sports authorities, with the aim of “removing current restrictions on participation.” Asghari acknowledges that negotiating with the militant Islamic organization, which took power in Afghanistan for the second time in 2021, is not always popular.
“There are critics who wonder why we should talk to the Taliban at all when they ignore human rights,” she says. “That is the reality and of course we are against the violation of human rights. But on the other hand, we cannot leave the daughters and girls of Afghanistan behind. The Taliban are people too. I believe in more conversations, I believe in communication. If we have to give something to achieve something, I think we have to do that.”
Asghari is speaking from Riyadh, where she is watching the Afghan team participate in the Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG), where 57 Muslim countries compete against each other in 21 sports and two para-sports. Afghanistan has brought a team of 76 athletes, a far cry from the compromise of six agreed with the IOC last year for the Paris Olympics. The team is largely made up of exiles from expat centers in countries like Iran, which in itself is also a hurdle. But with a historic first gold at the Games after Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir won the men’s 70-75kg final in Muay Thai boxing, Asghari believes the ISG provides a platform for Afghan athletes that could be effective sportingly and politically.
“The Games unite the neighborhood,” she says, “and I believe we really needed that. We need to be united because we are the ones who are victims of different conflicts; underdeveloped countries are all in this region. These are also countries that need more competition. Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, they need more opportunities.”
Asghari believes the Saudi-led body behind the Games, the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association, could play a diplomatic role in the future. “One of my comments for Issa is that if they could talk to the Taliban, to show them the footprint of Saudi Arabia in the past, that they were very closed, but now they are open about the situation of women, I think that would be a good support.”
Asghari is optimistic about the future of her country and the prospects for future generations. “I believe in the youth of Afghanistan.” As for hopes for the sport’s pinnacle, she says the next Olympics should raise expectations among an expanded team. “I believe that until 2028 we need to invest in our athletes to be stronger, perform stronger and not just participate. That should be one goal, and another goal should be to support those who want to reach the Olympic Games, because we have potential out there.” [the system, often in exile]. I believe that if we invest well and manage well, it is possible that we will become stronger.”
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