Friba Rezayee, an Afghan female judoka who competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics, urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar Afghanistan from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Reuters, citing Ms. Rezayee, reported on Monday night, April 16, that the IOC shouldn’t portray Afghanistan as stable under Taliban rule. “Allowing them to participate in the heart of Europe, in Paris 2024, poses a grave danger to the people,” she emphasized.
Rezayee lamented the loss of all the gains, rights, and freedoms of Afghan women, a scenario she never foresaw. The IOC had previously barred Afghanistan from the 2000 Sydney Olympics in 1999. The Taliban’s fall in 2000 enabled 18-year-old Rezayee’s participation in the Athens Olympics.
Returning from the Athens Games, she opted to remain in Afghanistan, spurred by significant changes she observed. However, the Taliban have shattered these hopes. While the IOC hasn’t responded to her plea yet, it previously expressed skepticism about isolating Afghanistan’s sports community.
It’s noteworthy that Rezayee left Afghanistan in 2011. Now based in Canada, she has been active for years, establishing the “Women Leaders of Tomorrow” institution, and offering scholarships and educational programs for Afghan women.
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, hosting 10,500 athletes, is set from July 11th to August 11th this year in France.