Afghan Female Cyclists to Compete in World Championships in France

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The International Cycling Union has announced that the Afghan women’s cycling championship will be held during the World Cycling Championships in France.

In this competition, Afghan female cyclists will ride the 115.5 km route that French athletes also compete on. The event will be held on June 28, and three of these athletes will also compete in the time trial section on June 26.

Fariba Hashimi, the champion of the 2022 Afghan women's competition in Switzerland, is one of the five athletes participating in this event. She told the media, “I am emotionally ready to defend the championship title. Obviously, I hope to win, but I also hope this event will make other athletes shine.”

It is worth mentioning that despite competing at the same time as French athletes, a separate ranking will be used to decide the championship of the Afghan women’s cycling team.

Meanwhile, David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union, said, “Seeing the best Afghan women cyclists competing again in their national championship will undoubtedly be an emotional and proud moment, three years on from the last edition,”

This comes as, following the Taliban's takeover in 2021, women in Afghanistan have been completely banned from sports, and girls above the sixth grade are not allowed to continue their education. Female athletes, including cyclists, have been forced to leave the country.