Afghanistan’s International Olympic Committee member Samira Asghari says the Taliban authorities must face the stark truth that if they are ever to be accepted internationally, they must respect the rights of women to education and sport.
Asghari, who at 31 is living in exile for the second time, does, however, favour engaging with Afghanistan’s rulers.
The Taliban government have banned girls from schools beyond the age of 12, and barred women from most jobs and public services – and from playing sport.
Asghari, who in 2018 became Afghanistan’s first ever IOC member, accepts her “situation is quite challenging” and beating the drum for Afghan women’s sport “does require certain precautions”.
Nevertheless, the former international basketball player, like many top Afghan women athletes, is undeterred in speaking out about the treatment of women under the Taliban authorities.
“The reality is that when you take a public stand for women’s rights you do become a target, but I believe strongly in communication and engagement,” she said in an email interview with the AFP news agency.
“As long as the Taliban remain the reality on the ground in Afghanistan, we cannot afford to waste time doing nothing.
“In my role, I have tried to help smooth the discussions between the IOC and those currently in control, focusing on the sport rights of women and girls and particularly primary school girls who are still inside Afghanistan.
”Asghari, one of four children born to a retired professional makeup artist mother and a father who was a manager in the Afghan Olympic national committee, says the “conversations are not always easy”.
“They are not about legitimising any government,” she said.“But they are very important for creating tangible opportunities for future generations of young boys and girls in Afghanistan.”
With Afghan sportswomen spread around the globe, putting together teams is complex.