Afghan Women’s Sports Archive

Afghan women challenged cultural norms and gender barriers through sports across the country. The Afghan Women’s Sport Archive documents and preserves the history of these women for future generations.

An estimated .5% of global recorded history is about women. In Afghanistan, the first Taliban regime systematically destroyed photographs, books, newspapers, and records, reducing access to documented history and, in particular, women’s narratives.

The work of documenting Afghanistan’s athletes' history begins with oral histories and witness statements in seven sports: cycling, football, skiing, snowboarding, climbing/mountaineering, skateboarding, and judo. We chose these sports because they all began after the first Taliban regime and because we have connections to the founders and the original athletes. We are also collecting the oral histories of para-athletes registered with the Afghan Para Federation, discussing how best to represent this group of athletes in the archive, who compete in various sports. These connections allow us to build the archive authentically, truthfully, and fully. Our work is to preserve their history, ensuring that future generations know what they accomplished, why, and how.

This archive will ensure we preserve a rounder, fuller story of who these Afghan women are and the society they were a part of.

This history is vital for preserving the identity not just of the women involved as athletes, but for the identity of future Afghan women and girls, and of Muslim women everywhere.