Don’t Ask More Questions On Women: Taliban After Allowing 400 Sports In Afghanistan

Mumbai: Afghanistan’s new sports chief Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai said that Taliban “won’t ban any sport, unless it doesn’t comply with sharia law” and that 400 types of sports are allowed, but it’s not clear if women can participate and play.

While responding to the issue of women participation, Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai told AFP , “Please don’t ask more questions about women”.

With a thick black and white beard, Rustamzai was responding from where the president of Afghanistan’s Olympic Committee was addressing the media for the last time, until he fled the country last month. Former kung fu and wrestling champion Rustamzai took over as Afghanistan’s director general for sports and physical education.

He had also previously held the position of head of a wrestling federation under Taliban rule. According to AFP, he had worked with the Western-backed government, but stepped down after being sidelined by “their widespread corruption”.

“As long as it follows Sharia law, we will not ban any sport … 400 types of sports are allowed,” said Rustamzai, wearing the Taliban’s distinctive black turban.

Rustamzai also avoided questions on the issue of women’s sports. Sports stadiums were regularly used for public performances. He also said that following Islamic law would mean little change in behavior compared to other countries.

“It doesn’t change much,” he said, adding that football players or Muay Thai boxers, for example, would be required to wear “shorts that fall below the knee” for a while.

While probing further on women’s participation, he said he was still awaiting decrees from the top Taliban leadership. Last week, the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said that it was “not necessary” for women to play sport.

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