Yousofi named in gender-equal Afghanistan team

Kimia Yousofi will correspond "the stolen dreams and aspirations" of Afghanistan's women aft being named successful nan nation's six-person squad for nan Paris 2024 Olympics.

The 100m sprinter was Afghanistan's flag-bearer astatine nan Tokyo Games 3 years ago, but fled her location state to neighbouring Iran to flight persecution erstwhile nan Taliban returned to powerfulness successful August 2021.

The 28-year-old was 1 of 5 athletes and administrators, positive families, pinch ties to nan Olympic activity who received safe transition into Australia a twelvemonth later.

"It's an honour to correspond nan girls of my homeland erstwhile again - girls and women who person been deprived of basal rights, including education, which is nan astir important one," she said.

"I correspond nan stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don't person nan authority to make decisions arsenic free quality beings."

Yousofi will make her 3rd quality astatine nan Olympics and it will beryllium nan first clip Afghanistan has 3 female athletes astatine nan Games.

"I'm profoundly grateful to each those who person stood by maine connected this travel and made this possible," she added.

The International Olympic Committee said successful June, external that Afghanistan would section a gender-equal squad of 3 men and 3 women "because of nan objection that it gives to nan world, astatine location successful Afghanistan and besides to nan remainder of nan world".

The IOC added that nary Taliban charismatic would beryllium allowed and they recognise that some nan caput of Afghanistan's nationalist Olympic committee and its caput wide are presently successful exile.

Since gaining powerfulness successful 2021, nan Taliban - who opportunity they respect women's authorities successful statement pinch their mentation of Islamic rule and section customs - person closed girls' precocious schools, placed recreation restrictions connected women without a antheral guardian and restricted entree to parks and gyms.

The Taliban told AFP connected Monday that they do not recognise Yousofi nor her female team-mates.

"Only 3 athletes are representing Afghanistan," said Atal Mashwani, nan spokesperson of nan Taliban government's sports directorate.

"Currently, successful Afghanistan girls' sports person been stopped. When girls' athletics isn't practised, really tin they spell connected nan nationalist team?"

The female athletes will compete successful athletics and cycling while their antheral counterparts will characteristic successful athletics, swimming and judo, pinch Yusofi's Australian coach John Quinn acting arsenic nan team's caput coach.

All of them, isolated from nan judoka, are based extracurricular Afghanistan pinch nan squad competing nether nan black, reddish and greenish emblem and anthem of nan Western-backed erstwhile republic, which was ousted by nan Taliban.