The girls’ karate team of Afghan refugees in Iran achieved the runner-up position in the second round of the Asian Shotokan Championships.
The team secured three gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals in this competition. The second round of the Asian Shotokan Championships was held last week (Monday to Thursday, January 22–25) in Tehran, Iran, with the participation of 2,500 athletes from five countries.
The Afghan refugee girls’ karate team in Iran secured second place in the team rankings at this tournament.
Narges Rezaei, Hania Sadaqat, and Aziza Mohammadi won gold medals; Donya Rezaei and Kimia Mohammadi won silver medals; and Mottahera Hosseini and Sarina Rahmati claimed bronze medals.
The Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth announced that the women’s division of the competition included teams from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
Additionally, the Afghan men’s team secured third place in the tournament, competing against athletes from Iran, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
According to the Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth, the tournament featured 2,500 athletes, including 1,900 women.
This achievement comes despite the Taliban interim government banning women’s sports after taking power. Following the ban, all national women’s teams were suspended, women-only sports facilities were closed, and many athletes were forced to migrate to neighboring and other countries.
However, some of these girls continued their training after migration and succeeded in winning various medals as part of refugee teams.
