Athlete Kimia Yousofi sent a message to Afghan women following her 100-metre sprint in Paris on Friday, advocating for their rights.
The 28-year-old Yousofi finished last in her preliminary heat but flipped her bib around after crossing the finishing line to reveal a sign that read “education”, “sport” and “our rights”.
Yousofi left Afghanistan shortly after she competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, when the Taliban seized power and rolled back rights for women and girls.
She was Afghanistan’s flag bearer at Tokyo and one of five athletes and administrators plus families, who received safe passage into Australia in 2022.
The Australian Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee worked with a range of parties, including successive federal government administrations, to assist athletes following the Taliban takeover in their home country.
The Paris Games are Yousofi’s third Olympic Games and upon selection, she said it was 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 those women.”
Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have closed girls’ high schools, placed travel restrictions on women without a male guardian and restricted access to parks and gyms.
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive officer Matt Carroll said Yousofi’s family faced many risks and the task of extricating her from Iran, where she was based, was a challenging time for all.
“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,” Carroll said.
The Afghanistan Olympic Committee operate outside the country and sent three female athletes to the Olympics for the first time this year, along with three male athletes.
No Taliban official was allowed at the Paris Games and the International Olympic Committee said it hoped the equal gender split in the Afghan team would inspire people in Afghanistan and around the world.
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