KABUL (SW) – Salam Watandar conducted a brief review of the sports situation in Afghanistan and sought to find out the motivations of young people to engage in sports by speaking with 18 athletes in Kabul, most of whom are satisfied with the growth of sports disciplines over the past three years.
The discussions conducted by Salam Watandar with athletes from various sports disciplines show that various sports in Afghanistan have experienced good growth in recent years, causing upbeating and motivation among young people.
In this report, 8 athletes from national teams and 10 independent athletes in various sports disciplines in Kabul were interviewed. 10 of these athletes expressed satisfaction with the growth of sports in Afghanistan.
Among the 10 who are satisfied with the growth of sports in Afghanistan, 5 are members of national teams in disciplines such as Wushu, traditional wrestling, snooker, Buzkashi, and Taekwondo. The other 5 athletes practice in disciplines like free fight, bodybuilding, karate, boxing, and futsal.
These athletes attribute the growth and increased motivation for sports among young people and professional athletes to the provision of facilities and the organization of sports competitions in Afghanistan by the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports (GDoPS).
Khaled Hotak, a member of the National Wushu Team, and Shekib Attaie, a member of the National Traditional Wrestling Team, say that the situation of sports in Afghanistan has improved compared to the past, and in these three years, they have witnessed more youths participating in various sports disciplines.
“We are witnessing more youths in sports, and we have grown. We have witnessed significant progress in the world of sports in Afghanistan and we have developed,” said Khaled.
“Recently, look at our under-17 football team, which achieved first place in the CAF Cup, and our futsal team has qualified for the World Cup for the first time. The traditional wrestling discipline held international competitions, and we achieved third place with good results,” said Shekib.
In addition, Joyan Noori, who trains in free fight sport discipline at private clubs, expressed his satisfaction: “It has been five years since I engaged in free fight, and in the last three years, sports among youths have greatly increased.”
Salim Ahmadi, who trains in karate and taekwondo, also expressed satisfaction with the progress of sports in Afghanistan and the increase in sporting motivation among youths.
“In every discipline, the motivation of youths for sports has increased, and they continue their training with enthusiasm,” said Salim.
Not all satisfied
Some athletes in this report conducted by Salam Watandar, state that sports in Afghanistan have not only stagnated in the past three years but that the motivation for sports among youths has also decreased.
Eight athletes in this report, 3 of whom are members of the national judo, para-taekwondo, and kickboxing teams, and five others who practice boxing, free fight, and jiu-jitsu at private clubs, say that in the past three years, the motivation of athletes to continue sports has diminished.
Ali Sher, who trains in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu, and Wahid Yosufzai, a member of the Afghanistan’s National Judo Team, say that in the past three years, the level of sports in Afghanistan has declined, and the poor economic situation of athletes has led many to distance themselves from sports.
“The economic situation was better before, allowing young people to participate in sports. But now they cannot because the economic situation is weak. First, they must fill their stomachs before they can engage in sports. In the last three years, I think my training has decreased by 50 per cent,” Ali said.
“Unfortunately, the level of sports has declined, and every discipline has seen a decrease; there has not been any particular attention. Personally, due to the lack of cooperation from the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports, I missed out on four international events.” said Wahid.
These eight athletes cited the lack of facilities and resources for athletes in Afghanistan as the main reasons for the decline in sporting motivation and growth, saying that to encourage athletes, necessary facilities and resources must be provided for their continued participation in sports.
Ali Sajad Hamraz, a member of the National Para-Taekwondo Team, said, “There have been no changes in terms of facilities and resources; it remains the same as before. Athletes faced the same problems in the past, and now the only thing that has increased is restrictions.”
Jawad Safi, an athlete in free fight, agrees that currently, essential facilities for athletes are not available. “Facilities have been significantly reduced, and there has been no attention given.”
Sports experts say that the growth of sports in Afghanistan depends on the facilities and resources that must be made available to youths and young athletes.
Bashir Taraki, a sports expert and head Coach of the Afghan National Taekwondo Team, says that the suspension of funding from the National Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee and the economic challenges faced by youths and athletes have led to stagnation in sports in Afghanistan.
“If we want to increase the interest of youths in sports, we must create role models. Our national team players should be provided with resources and good salaries so that other young athletes can see them and be inspired, increasing their interest in sports,” Taraki said.
Officials from Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports (GDoPS) say that although no budget has been allocated from the International Olympic Committee to Afghanistan in the past three years, however, according to him, sports in the country have seen significant growth.
Officials say that their survey results indicate that the motivation of youths for sports has increased.
Atal Mashwani, spokesperson for the GDoPS, says that in the past three years, Afghanistan has made considerable progress in both domestic and international competitions.
“In the past year, we have held approximately 4,000 domestic competitions in various disciplines, including encouragement, selection, seasonal events, and national team selections. Five leagues competitions were organized in football, futsal, Buzkashi, volleyball, and Ghursi as per world standards. In international competitions this year alone, we secured 92 medals in various disciplines,” Mashwani said.
He also mentioned that from the beginning of the current year, Afghan athletes have won 19 gold medals, 30 silver medals, and 40 bronze medals in various disciplines at the 2024 Hangzhou competitions in China, as well as, in the Asia Futsal Cup, the CAFA football tournament, and the Central Asia Volleyball Cup competitions.
The spokesperson for the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports of Afghanistan assured that that this institution plans to provide more facilities for athletes in the future and focus on domestic competitions to further increase the enthusiasm of youths for sports.
