Female volleyball players are going through drama in Afghanistan.
A little over a month ago, Afghanistan fell into the hands of the Taliban who conquered the capital Kabul. The new government that took office immediately carried out actions aimed at depriving Afghans, especially women, of freedom and everyday life. The situation greatly worries the international community, which fears the return to a condition of total submission of the female part of the population. Among many activities banned for women now is practicing sports.
Speaking for BBC, the long-time member of the Afghanistan National Team, Zahra Fayazi, described the situation that women, including volleyball players, face on a daily basis in the country.
“Our players who were living in the provinces had to leave and live in other places. They even burned their sports equipment to save themselves and their families. They didn’t want them to keep anything related to sport. They are scared. Many of our players who are from provinces were threatened many times by their relatives who are Taliban and Taliban followers. The Taliban asked our players’ families to not allow their girls to do sport, otherwise they will be faced with unexpected violence,“ said Fayazi, who has been wearing the national team jersey for seven years and managed to escape to the UK.
Sophia, one of the leading players of the Afghanistan National Team who also defected her country due to fear of the Taliban, used a pseudonym for the interview with BBC. She revealed that one of her teammates was shot dead last month.
Both players called the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to help members of the volleyball national team in escaping before it is too late. In Afghanistan, volleyball is one of the most popular and most practiced sports, both by men and women. The Taliban shut down women’s volleyball once already, in 1996. Volleyball activities restarted in 2001 when they were overthrown.
