News Snapshot:
The US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 enabled women athletes to represent the country at the Olympic Games for the first time. Even so, the progress was only gradual; Afghanistan has sent 23 athletes to the Games since then, yet only four have been women. Now, the Taliban’s return to power following the American withdrawal this summer threatens to put an end to what little progress has been made. On September 8, the Taliban’s cultural commission official Ahmadullah Wasiq announced a ban on women’s sports, deeming their participation “not necessary”. Afghanistan’s new sports chief Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai appeared to tacitly...
