Afghan female athlete is threatened, seeks asylum in lieu of attending Olympics

Instead of competing in the Olympics this August as planned, Afghan athlete Mehboba Ahdyar is instead seeking asylum in Europe after receiving death threats from religious extremists. According to a report Monday in Spiegel Online, Ahdyar, 19, ran away from a training camp in Italy because of the negative reaction she has faced since receiving media attention earlier this year. Neighbors accused her of prostitution and extremists objected to her participation in sports as a Muslim woman.

According to the article, after disappearing, “she told [her family] that she was in Europe and would not be coming back. She said she was scared of reprisals because of her sports career. Her parents are now reportedly under pressure from members of the Afghan Olympic Committee, who say that if she does not come back they will be held responsible and could be thrown in jail.”

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