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Honoring the Afghan women’s sports teams likely to be banned by the Taliban

Afghan women football players pose during a practice ahead of the South Asia Football Federation (SAFF) women’s football championship at the Sports Complex in Islamabad on November 10, 2014. (FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images)

It didn’t take long for the Taliban to indicate women’s sports will once again be banned now that the regime has regained total control of Afghanistan. Earlier this month, Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, told Australian broadcaster SBS, “Islam and the Islamic Emirate [Afghanistan] do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.” 

The fact that the Afghan women’s cricket team and all other women’s national teams play in full length attire with hijabs is not sufficient for the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam. 

“In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this.” 

But it’s more than just the risk of skin exposure and inappropriate attire that the Taliban have issue with. “It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it,” Wasiq stated, indicating any type of public viewership or consumption of women’s sports is equally problematic for the extreme Islamist group.

It’s been 20 years since the oppressive regime was last in power. In that time, a generation of Afghan girls grew up with increased access to sports, and the country developed many national athletic programs for women. 

In 2010, the New York Times reported Afghanistan had started national teams for women in 22 different sports, though many in fledgling stages. Fast forward a decade, and the situation in Afghanistan is once again bleak in almost all aspects, especially for women. 

By taking a closer look at some of the sport programs they have worked so hard to grow over the past two decades, the magnitude of their impending loss is more fully realized.

Cricket:

The sport of cricket, for both men and women, is governed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). After years of hard work, ACB became a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017. One requirement for ICC membership is to have an active national women’s cricket team. 

According to ACB’s 2020 annual report, tournaments for school age girls have been held from 2014 on. Using those school teams as the player pool, the ACB hosted a series of development camps throughout 2020, gradually narrowing down from 100 original attendees to selecting 40 of the most talented players to the final camp. At the end of the last camp in November 2020, the ACB selected 25 women to be the nation’s first female cricketers awarded professional contracts from ACB. One year prior to the Taliban regaining power, Afghanistan had named its first ever salaried national women’s cricket team.

Soccer:

Similar to the selection process for cricket, a national Afghan women’s soccer team was first formed in 2007. Getting adequate support for the program has been an ongoing battle. Funding, practice space, quality coaching, and athletic training have continually been hard to come by, not to mention familial and community support. 

For much of the team’s existence they practiced on a NATO helipad field that was enclosed from onlookers. The national team’s first official international match was in 2010 at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship. The biannual SAFF Championship was the main tournament for the Afghan team until 2018, when the country switched membership to the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). That same year several of the women’s players came forward with allegations of sexual and physical abuse by the Afghanistan Football Federation President, Keramuudin Karim.

Given all the hurdles they faced, it’s impressive how much they were able to grow the sport for girls and women in the country. By 2021, there were eight teams participating in the Kabul Women’s Football League. Winners from this league moved on to compete in the Women’s Champions League, where top teams from each province competed for a national title. 

The harrowing evacuation of Afghanistan’s national team players has been well documented in recent weeks. In the past several days, further reports surfaced showing members of the junior national team and their families successfully made it to Pakistan and were housed by Pakistan’s Football Federation before flying to Portugal where they have been granted asylum

Though the high number of women’s soccer players who have successfully emigrated is welcome news, there are masses of female footballers who will remain in the country under an oppressive ruling body that will go to great lengths to prevent them from setting foot back on the pitch.

Basketball:

Efforts to form a national women’s basketball team began shortly after the U.S. ousted the Taliban in 2001. But as late as 2012, the team still had a hard time finding legit opponents, often playing against school age youth teams. 

In an effort to grow the sport, organizers began hosting an annual Afghanistan Women’s Basketball Championship in Kabul. In 2013, the tournament reportedly included over 100 players from 10 teams across three provinces and served as an opportunity to vie for a spot on the 12-person national team. One national team player, Samira Asghari, went on to become the first Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee.

Wheel-Chair Basketball:

One of the biggest sporting success stories in the country has been the development of the Afghan national women’s wheelchair basketball team. Created through a program run by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the team made huge strides from 2012, when they were too afraid to play with spectators, to 2017, when they won an international tournament in Bali. With solid support from the ICRC in the form of equipment, practice space, transportation, and coaching, the number of Afghan women playing the sport exploded, with 120 players on record as of 2017.  

Handball: 

In 2018, the first ever women’s national handball championship was held involving five teams from three provinces, serving as a selection event for the senior and youth national teams.

Track and Field:

Afghanistan has sent three female sprinters to the Olympics since 2004. In June 2021, 60 athletes competed across six running events to qualify for the Women’s Athletics National Team. In Tokyo, flagbearer Kimia Yousofi set a national record for women in the 100M sprint.

Martial Arts: 

In 2004, one of the first two female Olympians from Afghanistan was judoka Friba Rezayee. The 2021 women’s national taekwondo tournament held in Kabul featured 50 athletes.

Volleyball: 

Afghanistan holds a national women’s volleyball tournament every year, and earlier this year an Iran-based Afghan refugee team won the 2021 title, beating a city team from Kabul in the final. Ten teams participated.

Cycling: 

In late 2020, two female freestyle cyclists were named to the Afghan Cycling National Team.

– – –

The Taliban have yet to make any formal statement regarding the future of women’s sports in Afghanistan, but given the regime’s history, public comments from a high ranking official, and the fact no women were included in the new cabinet, the outlook is not good. 

Documenting the sports programs Afghan women bravely pursued over the past two decades is one small way to say, “We see you. We support you.”

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Gotham, USWNT forward Midge Purce out with ACL tear

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce announced on Wednesday that she has torn her ACL. 

The Gotham FC and USWNT forward went down with the injury on Sunday during Gotham’s 1-0 win after tweaking it earlier in the game. Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós did not have any immediate updates following the match, with further evaluation revealing the tear. 

“It’s a reality I’m still struggling with and has left me with not too much to say,” Purce wrote in a statement on social media. “I’m heartbroken to no longer be available for my season with Gotham FC or for Olympic selection with the USWNT – know I’m rooting for you both all year long. 

“Though you may not see it, I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Purce is just the latest women's soccer star to tear her ACL, and joins USWNT teammate Mia Fishel in having torn her ACL in the last couple of months. Other notable players include Catarina Macario and Christen Press, with Macario only just returning to the USWNT lineup after tearing hers in 2022. 

International stars such as Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have also suffered ACL tears. 

Purce’s injury caused Amorós to call out the international schedule, which has been a growing point of concern as more players fall victim to injuries and the playing schedule becomes more packed. Kansas City’s Debinha suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s opening game, while both Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have yet to play for Gotham due to injuries picked up during the W Gold Cup. 

“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós continued. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition."

In her statement, Purce said that “so many friends, teammates and even players I’ve only ever competed against” reached out to offer support. 

“I am so blessed,” she wrote. “Your messages have meant so much to me throughout this process, you have consoled what, for a moment, felt inconsolable. Thank you for reminding me that our football world is not only full with incredibly talent but also, incredible kindness.”

Lauren Jackson included on Australia Olympics roster

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Lauren Jackson of Australia celebrates with team mates after playing her final Opals game during the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 3rd place match between Canada and Australia at Sydney Superdome, on October 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Lauren Jackson has come out of retirement once again to compete for a spot on Australia’s Olympic roster. 

Jackson was included on the 26-player roster named by coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday that will take part in training camps, tours and games in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The roster will eventually be whittled down to just 12 players selected from the 26 named on Tuesday.

Jackson helped Australia qualify for the Olympics with a win over Germany in February. After that, she announced her retirement, revealing that she struggled to spend so much time away from her two young children. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Jackson and the basketball federation had come to an agreement in which they would help cover costs for her children to travel with the team for training camps and the Olympics. 

She’s largely expected to make the Opals’ Olympic roster. 

"It's always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes," Opals coach Sandy Brondello said. "They all know what it means to play for Australia and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics. Our squad is full of exceptional talent and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult."

At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson helped Australia win a bronze medal with 30 points against Canada. She had previously retired in 2016 due to knee injuries, but slowly made a return in a domestic Australian league the last few years.

Jackson has won four Olympic medals, including three consecutive silver medals starting with Sydney in 2000 when she was a teenager. 

First two rounds of NCAA tournament boast record attendance, viewership

(David K Purdy/Getty Images)

The first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament broke attendance and viewership records set just last year – and it wasn’t even close. 

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that attendance for the first two rounds of the tournament was more than 292,000 – up from last year’s record, when almost 232,000 fans attended the first two rounds.

Among the host sites, Iowa had the biggest crowds with nearly 29,000 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first and second rounds. 

"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Record crowds, ratings, incredible performances and evolving storylines will continue to make the next two weeks a must-see for fans across the world."

And for those that couldn’t attend the sold-out Iowa games, they watched on television. Monday’s matchup between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers, setting a record for a women’s D-I tournament game prior to the Final Four. 

It is also the third most watched tournament game in the last 20 years, behind last year’s national championship between LSU and Iowa (9.92 million) and Iowa’s Final Four win over South Carolina (5.6 million).

Iowa’s game against Holy Cross in the first round drew 3.23 million viewers. 

But it wasn’t just Iowa drawing big viewership. ESPN’s five games on Monday averaged 2.25 million viewers. UConn and Syracuse drew 2.05 million viewers while LSU and Middle Tennessee on ABC drew 2.01 million viewers on Sunday. 

The full, 16-game slate for the second round averaged 1.4 million viewers – a 121% increase from last year and the highest average ever for the second round.

The full tournament so far is averaging 812,000 viewers per game, a 108% increase from last year.

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