Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi competed in the 100 metres at the Olympics with a message about women’s rights written on the back of her bib.
After finishing last in the qualifying round on Friday, Yusofi lifted his bib to reveal messages written on the back that appeared to read “Education,” “Sport” and “Our Rights,” according to photos taken at the event.
“I am fighting for the land where the terrorists came from. If they come into your house you say, ‘OK, get out, this is my house’. How should I feel? They have taken my land,” she said after the race. CNN“Nobody recognises them as a government in Afghanistan. Nobody. They can’t speak. I can speak.”
Yousofi, who has been living in Australia since 2022, is one of three women representing Afghanistan at this summer’s Olympics in Paris. She has been selected to serve as the country’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, according to the Associated Press.
“It’s an honour to represent the girls of my country again,” she said. statement “Girls and women have been deprived of fundamental rights, including, most importantly, an education,” the Australian Olympic Committee said in a statement last month.
“I represent the hopes and dreams of these women who have been stolen. They have no authority to make decisions as free people, they don’t even have permission to enter the park,” she continued.
According to the Associated Press, she was among several players and their families who emigrated to Australia after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have begun enforcing restrictions on Afghan women since they took power following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. A UN report earlier this year noted that the Taliban “continues to enforce and promulgate restrictions on women’s rights to work, education and freedom of movement.”
The Associated Press contributed.
