Afghan women take up boxing

sports cultures — By Bob Riel on November 20, 2007 at 7:29 am

A few months ago, I linked to a unique story about females in Thailand who had taken up kickboxing. Now, it seems, according to this Associated Press article, young women in Afghanistan are trying to shatter more gender barriers by taking up the traditional sport of boxing.

The boxers belong to a new generation of Afghan youth, challenging stereotypes that persist five years after the fall of the Taliban. They train in a room in Kabul’s main sports stadium, a venue for public executions during Taliban rule in the late 1990s.

Boxing is helping them gain confidence and self-respect, the girls say. Their goal: to be Afghanistan’s first women’s boxing team.

“Many people are trying to stop us from participating in sports by saying it is not good for women,” said Shabnam, 15, who uses only one name.

“But I think if you are interested in doing something, you should avoid listening to what people think about you. Sports is a way out of violence for Afghanistan.”