Afghanistan+Sports

__Sportsghanistan! __

Sticking to cultural customs, a woman races towards finish line in Afghan Shaw. After Taliban fall, women started competing in more sporting events and recreations. Like in America and other countries, Afghan boys and girls participate in the widely known sporting even known as Track and Field.

People in Afghanistan love playing in all kinds of sports. Some of their most popular sports include: Buzkashi, which is played on horseback; Football (soccer), and Cricket. Also, since the fall of the Taliban, more women have taken up various other types of sports such as martial arts and boxing. Before the Taliban ceased, there were many restrictions on sports being played by both men and women. They also used the stadium where sports are played for public executions. (BF)

Just recently, November 16, 2009, the Afghans Sports Federations ASL season came to an end when Afghan United won the soccer championship game. The first half was a close and tied game against Afghan 11. Finally. in the second half, United pulled the game away by winning 3-0. The Afghan Sports Federation has been holding seasonal tournaments since the fall of 1998. The federation also holds an annual "Afghan Cup," each July 10-12 for men and womens volleyball, basketball, and soccer. The Afghan Cup is a sporting and cultural event where thousands of Afghans around the world come together to watch games and enjoy the festivities. (BF)

Buzkashi is the national sport of Afghanistan. This sport is also often known as "goat grabbing". In this game a headless carcass is set in the middle of a playing field and is surrounded by men on horseback. The men on horseback have to go through years of training to play this rough game; And the horses do not even make it to the playing field until five years of training is completed. This is the nation's sport because it is unknown to other countries and is very dangerous. (MH)

While kite flying is not the national sport, it is the most popular. Kite flying orginated in China and is very popular throughout all of Asia. The object of kite flying is to snag or "cut" other's kites down and be the last standing kite. In the book, Amir talks about how kite flying leaves your hands bloodied with cuts that he is proud of - battle wounds. The reason the kite's strings are so tough and painful is because many flyers pass their strings through a mixture of glass ground powder and glue, causing them to stiffen to increase ability to sever other flyer's kite strings. During the rule of the Tailban, kite flying was banned along with Buzkaski. Since the fall of the Taliban, all sports have came back to life, most now with even women participating. (MH)

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Sources: http://www.afghansportsfederation.org/afghancup_2990.html http://www.afghan-web.com/sports/ []