Refugee breakdancer disqualified for displaying words ‘Free Afghan Women’ on cape

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Afghan refugee breakdancer Manizha Talash has been disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after displaying a cape with the message “Free Afghan Women” on Friday, officials said.

Talash has been “disqualified for displaying a political slogan on her attire”, said the World DanceSport Federation.

She unveiled a light blue cape with the message written in white as she took the stage for her pre-qualifier loss to the Dutch player India Sardjoe.

On Friday, as she prepared for her battle, B-girl Talash removed her jumper to reveal a cape that said, “Free Afghan Women”. She was applauded by the crowd and her Dutch opponent, who raised her hands and cheered for the Afghan player.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations clearly state that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”.

Following the incident, the World DanceSport Federation, which oversees the sport, said: “The Chair of the IOC Disciplinary Commission will consider the case in relation to the IOC’s Athlete Expression Guidelines.”

It is not immediately clear whether Talash faces further punishment, but she says she has made her point. “I wanted to show people what is possible,” she said.

Breaking, a street dance style that originated in 1970s New York, made its Olympic debut at the Paris Games this year. The move was aimed at attracting a younger audience to the global event.

Now in Spain, Talash fled Afghanistan in 2021 after the war-torn country fell into the hands of the Taliban. She had discovered breaking in her home country but could not pursue her dream because the hardline Islamist group has banned women from education, work, and sports, among other spheres of public life.

At the time she had to leave Afghanistan, Talash was the only female breaker at the “Superiors Crew” in Kabul.

Knowing that the Taliban would never allow her to leave her home, let alone pursue breaking, Talash decided to leave and travelled with her little brother to Spain.

Afghanistan is represented by a contingent of three women and three men, in a largely symbolic move by the International Olympic Committee. This gesture is intended as a message to the country, which, under Taliban rule, has restricted women’s and girls’ access to sports and gyms.

Both the head of Afghanistan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), recognised by the IOC, and its secretary general are currently in exile.

The ongoing Paris Games mark the third Olympics in which a team of refugees is participating, with 37 athletes competing in 12 different sports, including athletics, badminton, and boxing.

The IOC has said no Taliban official has been accredited for the Games.