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Exiled Afghan female athletes are participating in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which end October 8. They say they want to raise awareness of the plight of women in Afghanistan, who are barred from playing any sports in the country. Waheed Faizi has the story, narrated by Elizabeth Cherneff.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptASIAN GAMES AFGHAN WOMEN (TV )
HEADLINE: Afghan Women's Volleyball Team Defies Taliban, Will Participate in Asian Games
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 9/28/2023 at 10:25p
BYLINE: Waheed Faizi
DATELINE: Washington
CONTRIBUTOR: Roshan Noorzai
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Reifenrath, DJ (ok)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Afghan Service, Khushal Malakzai & AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO
TRT: 1:56
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Exiled Afghan female athletes are participating in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which end October 8. They say they want to raise awareness of the plight of women in Afghanistan, who are barred from playing any sports in the country. Waheed Faizi has the story, narrated by Elizabeth Cherneff.]]
((NARRATOR))
The Afghan women’s volleyball team is preparing for its first Asian Games in a training center in Hangzhou, China.
Most of these players arrived from Iran, not their native Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned women from playing any sports.
The athletes say they want to play for the women of Afghanistan, who are deprived of their rights.
((FOR RADIO: Roqia Mohammadi is an Afghan volleyball player))
((Roqia Mohammadi, Afghan Volleyball Player ((Female/Dari))
“But we are here to represent all girls in Afghanistan. With our presence, we want to say [to Afghan women] that they are not alone. Wherever we are, in Austria, Germany or anywhere else, we are Afghans and will stand by each other.”
((NARRATOR))
Some of these players fled Afghanistan for Iran after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
The team started its training for the Asian Games in Iran.
((FOR RADIO: Khushal Malakzai is the former secretary-general of the Afghanistan volleyball federation))
((Khushal Malakzai, Afghanistan Volleyball Federation Secretary-General ((Male/Pashto))
“Currently, girls can’t do sports in Afghanistan. These are players of the [Afghan] national team who are in Iran [now]. We could have them train in Iran, and after one and a half months of training, they arrived on September 21st and now they are getting ready for the games.”
((NARRATOR))
The team is going to play its first game on Saturday with Kazakhstan; however, not all the players of the Afghan national team could make it to Hangzhou.
((FOR RADIO: Freshta Karimi is an Afghan volleyball player.]]
((Freshta Karimi, Afghan Volleyball Player ((Female/Dari))
“I am really sorry that our former teammates are not with us for the training and games, and I hope that the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Committee of our country, Afghanistan, will support women in sports.”
((NARRATOR))
The Afghanistan National Olympic Committee says that in addition to the 12 volleyball players, three more Afghan women athletes will be competing in cycling and athletics in the Asian Games. Separately, the Taliban has sent 130 male athletes to compete at the event.
((For Waheed Faizi, Elizabeth Cherneff, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
in Washington D. C.
Embargo DateSeptember 28, 2023 23:01 EDT
Byline
Waheed Faizi, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
