Dylan Bettencourt
Yasamin Azizi has not let the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan stop her from training female taekwondo athletes. But the veteran coach is forced to train in secret.
While female participation in sports remains unclear under Taliban rule, participation was outlawed under the previous Taliban rule, which ended in 2001.
In the years after the government fell, women participating in sport became an act of defiance.
However, fearing a return to a similar level of oppression, many female athletes have fled the country.
Azizi however has continued training her female taekwondo athletes since the Taliban seized power in August, though her business has taken a hit. She previously trained around 60 to 70 students but is now only able to coach ten students each day.
“It has been two or three months since the previous government collapsed and we train secretly in different gyms. As you all know that girls are not allowed to resume their activities or training, but I still do my best to serve my society, especially those girls who are addicted to exercise,” the trainer said.
The veteran Azizi has been a part of the Afghanistan national female taekwondo team for the last six years. She is also reportedly the country’s first female referee in the sport.
The future in sports in the troubled nation faces huge uncertainty as the Taliban have yet to provide a directive on women’s participation in sports.
One of the students who trains in the secret gym said their community was questioned by the Taliban recently.
“Three days ago, some of our gym partners who are also members of the national taekwondo team were pursued by the Taliban all the way to their homes.
“The Taliban even went inside their homes for inquiries. This is really hard for us, that we can neither resume our education nor can we continue our training,” Behtareen Rostaee said.
Like most female athletes in the nation, Azizi has and is still considering her future in the country and has thought of leaving Afghanistan to pursue her taekwondo career in a different country.
Image source: @Reuters
