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Afghan Olympic Committee Urges Athletes to Return Home

INTERNATIONAL: Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee acting president on Wednesday called on athletes who had fled the country after the Taliban takeover to return home. Nazar Mohammad Motmaeen made the comments during a ceremony in Kabul honouring Afghan players who won medals for Afghanistan over the last twenty years and earned global recognition for their country.

Around 200 players were honoured by the Afghan National Olympic Committee and the Department of Sports for representing Afghanistan in various sports.

National Olympic Committee Nazar Mohammad Motmaeen says, "The players that have gone to foreign countries, they should return and they should be here together with us. The players’ respect is here in their own country, their respect is in their own village and district and in Afghanistan. Those who wish to go to foreign countries and they assume that they will earn respect there and a better life, believe me, this wish will remain unfulfilled until death."

Athlete Ramen Muhammadi also urged the Taliban government to support Afghan athletes. Many athletes and sportspersons, mainly women, have left Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August. They were helped by international athletics representatives and sporting bodies, including the IOC and FIFA.

A women's youth soccer team from Afghanistan arrived in the United Kingdom in November 18, months after the Taliban took control of their country. Reality star Kim Kardashian and Leeds United soccer club owner Andrea Radrizzani also aided the efforts to relocate the 130 soccer players and their families.

Earlier this year, Australia evacuated more than 50 female Afghan athletes and their dependants after lobbying by prominent figures from the sporting world, while several players from Afghanistan's national female youth soccer squad were granted asylum in Portugal.




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