Afghan b-girl (breakdancer) Manizha Talash has been disqualified from the Olympic breaking (breakdancing) competition after displaying a cape with the slogan “Free Afghan Women”.
The 21-year-old Refugee Olympic Team member removed her sweater to reveal a cape with the words “Free Afghan Women” written on it during her performance in Paris on Friday as breaking makes its Olympic debut. The Olympic Refugee team is composed of 37 athletes from 11 countries, competing in 12 Olympic disciplines.
Talash was disqualified for “displaying a political slogan on her attire,” the World DanceSport Federation said in a statement.
Manizha Talash left Afghanistan in 2021 after the Taliban’s return to power, when she received death threats from the fundamentalist regime. After initially fleeing to Pakistan, she arrived in Spain in 2022, where she is living and training in Madrid.
The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and say they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. They have closed girls’ high schools, placed travel restrictions on women without a male guardian and restricted access to parks and gyms, among many other restrictions.
Another Afghan athlete, Kimia Yousofi, also displayed a message advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan, holding up a handwritten sign saying “Education. Sport. Our Rights,” after competing in the women’s 100m preliminaries on 2 August. She was not disqualified.
