Afghan International Olympic Committee member Samira Asgari said the Taliban authorities must face a grim fact: if they want to be accepted by the international community, they must respect women’s rights to education and sports.

However, Asgari, 31, now in exile for the second time, does favor engaging with Afghanistan’s rulers.

The Taliban government bans girls over the age of 12 from attending school and bans women from most jobs and public service, as well as from participating in sports.

Asgari, who became Afghanistan’s first IOC member in 2018, admitted her “situation is quite challenging” and encouraged women’s sports in Afghanistan to “really need to take certain precautions”.

Still, the former international basketball player, like many of Afghanistan’s top female athletes, is unafraid to speak out about the treatment of women under Taliban authorities.

“The reality is that when you speak out in support of women’s rights you do get targeted, but I’m a firm believer in communication and engagement,” she said in an email interview with the AFP news agency.

“As long as the Taliban remains a reality in Afghanistan, we cannot waste time doing nothing.

“In my role, I work to help smooth discussions between the IOC and the current controllers, focusing on the rights of women and girls in sport, particularly those of primary school children still in Afghanistan.”

Asgari, one of four children born to a mother, a retired professional makeup artist, and a father, a former manager of Afghanistan’s Olympic national committee, said “the conversation is not always easy.”

“They are not intended to legitimize any government,” she said.

“But they are important for creating real opportunities for future generations of young boys and girls in Afghanistan.”

“I hope FIFA can cooperate with the negotiations between the International Olympic Committee and the Taliban”

Since Afghan female athletes are spread across the globe, building a team is complicated.

However, the Afghan women’s football team, which consists of players from Europe and Australia, Recently participated in FIFA Unitedes: Women’s Series 2025 In Morocco.

“Support for Afghan athletes outside Afghanistan is only the first step and I hope FIFA will cooperate with the IOC’s ongoing negotiations with the Taliban,” she said.

Asgari, who has been involved in the “project” for more than a year, hopes Afghanistan’s rulers will get the message across.

“The Taliban gained the state and now they are trying to maintain power while ignoring basic human rights, especially the human rights of women,” she said.

“In the long term it will be difficult for them to continue to rule Afghanistan in this way and the Taliban need to understand that their international acceptance is directly linked to respect for human rights, including women’s rights to education and sport.”

Asgari, who attended the recent Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, where Afghan men and women competed, said she hoped there would be “a small space” for the Taliban’s stance.

“I also believe that if we can find small opportunities – like developing sports in primary schools where girls can still go to sixth grade – we should take them,” she said.

“It’s not about accepting Taliban restrictions, it’s about not abandoning Afghan girls and women.

“We have to face reality while continuing to push for fundamental change.”

Asgari said even such small breakthroughs could avoid the long-term harm women suffered when the Taliban first took power from 1996 to 2001.

She said she has seen the impact of returning home after her first exile in Iran.

“It’s deeply concerning to me that we are creating another lost generation,” she said.

“I remember when I was 12 years old and in sixth grade, there was a 20-year-old woman sitting next to me in my class because she couldn’t go to school during the Taliban era.

“I didn’t know how to communicate with her and it was difficult for both of us, especially for her because she had lost so many years.

“I can’t accept this happening again. That’s why even a small chance is so important.”

Despite the bleak outlook, Asgari remains hopeful and believes in “continued engagement and dialogue” with the Taliban.

“The future of Afghanistan lies with the younger generation. We need to give them every possible opportunity, no matter how small, and never, ever give up on them.”