Sisters Fariba and Yulduz Hashimi were always interested in sports growing up, but their conservative province in Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, banned women’s participation in sports. The girls borrowed a neighbor’s bike to teach themselves how to ride as teenagers, and even dressed up in disguise to participate in community bike races. Fariba and Yulduz knew they had to leave Afghanistan if they wanted to pursue their cycling dreams, and they ended up leaving their family and evacuating to Italy to train with a coach and cycling team. The Taliban’s control of Afghanistan called into question whether the country would be allowed to join this year’s Olympic Games, but the International Olympic Committee put together a special team to allow Afghan women to compete. Fariba and Yulduz are two of the members of this unique team, and the sisters are looking forward to showing women in Afghanistan and around the world to not give up on their dreams.
Image via BBC
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