Afghan women athletes barred from play, fear Taliban threats

By The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan women and girls who once played a variety of sports say they have faced intimidation from the Taliban, including visits and phone calls warning them not to engage in their sports. Since they took power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned sports for women and girls, part of a series of measures that have virtually shut down life for women. One woman said Taliban fighters came to a gym where she was giving private lessons to women in mixed martial arts and detained all of them. Another female athlete said she had gotten threatening phone calls.