Australian-based sprinter lands Afghan Olympic team spot

by Admin
July 9, 2024

In short:

Australian-based athlete Kimia Yousofi says she is grateful to all who have stood by her, after she was named in the Afghanistan Olympic team.

Yousofi fled Afghanistan in 2021 after the takeover by the Taliban and received safe passage to Australia from Iran.

What’s next?

Yousofi will be at the Games, which begin in Paris on July 26.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has congratulated dual Olympian track sprinter Kimia Yousofi, now based in Australia, on her selection in the Afghanistan team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Yousofi, Afghanistan’s Flag Bearer at Tokyo 2020, was one of five athletes, plus administrators and families, who received safe passage into Australia in 2022.

ABC Sport will be live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics from July 27

The AOC and International Olympic Committee worked with a range of parties, including successive federal government administrations, to assist endangered athletes following the Taliban takeover in their home country.

Following her selection, she will now attend her third Olympic Games, competing in the 100 metres.

Yousofi said: “It’s an honour to represent the girls of my homeland once again. Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one. I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women.

“Those who don’t have the authority to make decisions as free human beings. They don’t even have the permission to enter a park. I’m deeply grateful to all those who have stood by me on this journey and made this possible.”

AOC chief executive officer Matt Carroll said Yousofi and her family faced many risks, and the task of extricating her from Iran, where she was based, was a challenging time for all.

He said: “Her story is one of inspiration for women and girls in Afghanistan and anywhere in the world, who are denied basic rights, including the right to freely practice sport.”

The Afghanistan Olympic Committee operates outside the country and will send three female athletes to the Olympics for the first time.

AAP

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