One of the most widely reported events in the community recently was the addition of T20 cricket to the Olympic Games. After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members decided to add T20 cricket to the famous event, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, or LA28, would feature T20 cricket as one of its sports. One of the main topics of discussion leading up to LA28, however, has been whether the IOC will allow Afghanistan men’s team to compete in the competition without their female counterparts.
Gender equality has previously been one of the main issues raised, and the IOC president stepped forth to say that they will be watching how much support the women’s team receives in the war-torn nation in order to secure a safe entry for Afghanistan’s women’s squad into the tournament.
It should be noted that until a solution for female participation is discovered, the IOC has not yet approved athletes from Afghanistan to compete in the Olympic Games.
Similar sentiments were expressed by James Macleod, IOC director of Olympic Solidarity and National Olympic Committee Relations.
Since the regime change, we have had regular contacts and discussions with the Afghan government officials, and we have insisted that the government remove any restrictions that prevent women and young girls from participating in athletic possibilities in the nation. James Macleod was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying, “The IOC executive board took a very clear position on this in December 2022, and we have reiterated that position with the government authorities on numerous occasions. Last week, we met with the new Director of Sport and Physical Education to reiterate the IOC’s position on that.
We are closely monitoring this: Thomas Bach
Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, took the podium to discuss the Asian Games delegation from Afghanistan that will be attending in 2023. He believed that the IOC’s position on cricket in LA28 may be significantly influenced by an Afghanistan NOC.
“We are closely monitoring this. Additionally, Sameera Ashghari, a member of our team in Afghanistan, has urged us to keep supporting female athletes and the people who support them both in Afghanistan and abroad, according to Thomas Bach.
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