PARIS: Olympic Refugee Team breakdancer Manizha Talash from Afghanistan was disqualified from the breaking competition after she wore a cape saying “Free Afghan Women,” the World DanceSport Federation told AFP on Saturday.
B-girl Talash, 21, unveiled the blue top with the slogan on Friday just before the first duel of the whole competition, against India Sardjoe of the Netherlands.
“Refugee athlete B-girl Talash... was disqualified for displaying a political slogan on her attire in violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter,” the association said in a statement to AFP.
That rule states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Born in Kabul, under Taliban control since 2021, Talash fled the country to live in Spain with her two brothers.
Before arriving in Spain, she spent a year in hiding in Pakistan because she did not have a passport.
“I didn’t leave Afghanistan because I’m afraid of the Taliban or because I can’t live in Afghanistan,” she said before the competition.
“I left because I want to do what I can for the girls in Afghanistan, for my life, my future, for everyone.”
In Kabul, she discovered breaking online and joined a local club, where she was the only girl.
Despite the risks — the troupe was forced to switch practice venues after receiving death threats — she was determined to pursue her passion.
“I took the risk of becoming a target. I have fear in my heart but I won’t give up,” she told AFP in 2021.
Six athletes represented Afghanistan — including three women not acknowledged by the Taliban government — at the Paris Olympics in cycling, athletics, swimming and judo.
‘Free Afghan Women’: Olympic refugee breakdancer disqualified for slogan
https://arab.news/vb2hn
‘Free Afghan Women’: Olympic refugee breakdancer disqualified for slogan
- Born in Kabul, 21-year-old Manizha Talash fled the country to live in Spain with her two brothers
- Before arriving in Spain, she spent a year in hiding in Pakistan because she did not have a passport
UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s
LONDON: Britain’s upper house of parliament voted Wednesday in favor of banning under?16s from using social media, raising pressure on the government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.
Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.
The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co?sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.
“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first,” Nash said. “This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.”
Before the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
Some child-protection groups warn a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found 74 percent of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age?verification for harmful content.
