Mike Lopresti has a new column about the continuing saga of Mehbooba Andyar, the Olympic runner from Afghanistan who remains missing.
Female Afghan athlete likely still on the run
The facts: Ahdyar, 19 years old, disappeared in early July while training in Italy for the 800 and 1,500 meters, her luggage and passport vanishing with her.
The conjecture: Haunted by threats from Islamic militants back in Afghanistan who are determined that women not compete in Beijing, she decided to forego Beijing and seek asylum elsewhere. That is what her coach told Radio Free Europe. Her mother, Moha Jan, said to the Associated Press in the spring: “We are scared, really scared, about the security situation in our country and of the people who have negative views of my family. … These problems cannot stop us from supporting our daughter.”
A call to the International Association of Athletics Federation and the Afghanistan Embassy Monday turned up no new information. Nobody answered the number for the Afghanistan Olympic Committee.
Lopresti’s column also contains a bit about the first two female Olympic athletes from Afghanistan, and their hopes that more would follow in their footsteps. This year’s only contender is still running, just not in the venue in which they’d like to see her.
Filed under: Islam, Middle East, Misogyny, Sports, Terrorism | Tagged: Afghanistan, Islamists, Mahbooba Ahadgar, Mahbooba Andyar, Mehbooba Andyar, Olympics
Has there been any more recent news on her whereabouts? I would love to know that she succeeded in her attempts at freedom.
Since she disappeared, there has been virtually no news. Most of the things I have read since I posted this have intimated that she is seeking asylum in Norway.