Mehboba Ahdyar

Mehboba Ahdyar (* 1988 or 1989) is an Afghan athlete . In the summer of 2008, Ahdyar wanted to be the only woman for her country to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , where she would compete over 1500 meters . At the beginning of July 2008 she disappeared without a trace.

Career

Ahdyar's family lives in a mud-brick house in one of the poorest parts of the Afghan capital, Kabul . In her youth, she competed in several competitions in her home country. The 2008 Summer Olympics will be the first international competition. Her personal best over 1500 meters is currently around 4:50 minutes, around one minute above the current world record set by the Chinese Qu Yunxia .

Ahdyar recently trained in the national stadium in Kabul and in Italy. According to reports from the Afghan Embassy in the United States, their preparations for the Olympic Games were overshadowed by taunts and rumors from conservative neighbors and even death threats from extremists. Again and again she was accused of an “un-Islamic lifestyle”, although she always competed with veils and with a high-necked tracksuit. She announced that she would wear a headscarf as a symbol for Muslim women during the competitions in Beijing .

In early July, Ahdyar disappeared during a training camp in Italy. At first it was believed that it was a capital crime, then several media reported unanimously that she was on the run from the Taliban . She is said to have applied for asylum in Norway. It is unknown whether the asylum application was accepted or rejected.

Web links

• Video portrait at National Geographic

Individual evidence

1. ^ Elke Wittich: Running For Her Life: Afghan Athlete Seeks Asylum in Europe. In: Spiegel Online International. July 15, 2008, accessed on March 2, 2013 (German). 
2. ^ Owen Slot: Fears ease after missing Afghan athlete found. In: Times Online. July 10, 2008, accessed July 16, 2008 .