Samira Asghari, an Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee, has announced that she has been re-elected as an independent member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for another eight-year term after securing a majority of the votes.
Ms. Asghari said in a statement that the election took place on the second day of the 145th IOC Session, held in Milan, Italy.
Samira Asghari, who has previously been a member of Afghanistan’s women’s national basketball team, has also served as a member of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.
According to available information, she has been serving as a member of the International Olympic Committee since October 2018.
After her re-election for another eight-year term, Samira Asghari wrote: “I consider this great responsibility a valuable opportunity to serve the global sports community, and I hope that, in cooperation with Afghanistan’s sports community and international colleagues, I can take effective and lasting steps toward supporting and protecting athletes around the world—especially Afghan athletes—along the path of development, justice, and the preservation of the highest values of sport.”
Samira Asghari’s appointment comes at a time when sports for women and girls are banned in Afghanistan.
Additionally, after taking control of the country, the current authorities have deprived women and girls of education and schooling. In their latest restriction, they have also closed the doors of medical institutes to women and girls, despite the nationwide shortage of healthcare personnel across Afghanistan.
These actions by the current authorities have resulted in millions of school-age girls being deprived of education.
Moreover, women are banned from attending sports clubs, restaurants, and public bathhouses; from being examined by male doctors; from traveling without a male guardian (mahram); and from working in domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as even in United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
