Afghanistan was one of the five founding members of the Asian Games Federation on 13 February 1949, in New Delhi; the organisation was disbanded on 26 November 1981 and replaced by the Olympic Council of Asia.[2][3]
Membership of Olympic Council of Asia
Afghanistan is a member of the Central Asian Zone of the Olympic Council of Asia, the governing body of all the sports in Asia, recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the continental association of Asia.[4][5][a] It was a member of the South Asian Zone, where Afghanistan participated in the South Asian Games, from 2004 to 2016.[6]
The OCA organises five major continental-level multi-sport events: the Asian Summer Games (which are commonly known as the Asian Games), Asian Winter Games, Asian Indoor-Martial Arts Games, Asian Beach Games, and Asian Youth Games. Before 2009, Indoor and Martial Arts were two separate events for indoor and martial arts sports respectively. However, the OCA has since amalgamated them into a single event, the Asian Indoor-Martial Arts Games, which will be debuted in 2013 in Incheon, South Korea.[7] As a member of OCA, Afghanistan is privileged to participate in all these multi-sport events.
Afghanistan has competed in the Asian Games since the inaugural edition of the Games in 1951 in New Delhi. On 26 September 1996, the Taliban took over Kabul and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[8] Under the Taliban regime all types of sporting activities were deprecated, as according to the Taliban, most of them were against the teachings of Islam and Islamic law. Many stadiums, like Ghazi Stadium of Kabul, were either destroyed or converted into venues for public executions and punishments.[9] Women were banned from taking part in any type of sport; male athletes were allowed to participate in a few sports, but were forced to wear long sleeves, trousers and beards. Following such incidents and discrimination against women, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee and barred them from taking part in the Olympic Games.[10]
A few months before the 2000 Summer Olympics, the IOC offered the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee the opportunity to send a contingent to the Games without the Taliban flag. The Committee declined to take part on this condition.[8]
Participation of Afghan sportsmen without representing the Emirate (Afghanistan) and its flag will mean nothing. We will not send anyone on an individual basis
Afghanistan did not send a delegation to the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand, due to economic difficulties. Laws implemented by the Taliban government also made it impossible for Afghan athletes to compete. For example, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) does not allow players to have beards and mustaches, but Afghan males were forbidden to cut their facial hair.[11][12] Afghanistan returned to the Asian Games after the fall of the Taliban government in the midst of an ongoing war.[13] In June 2003, the IOC lifted the suspension imposed on Afghanistan during the 115th IOC Session in Prague.[14]
Afghanistan status unclear for the future participation since brought under the political turmoil.[15] In 2022 Asian Games, Afghanistan participated with 68 male and 15 female athletes. All 83 athletes competed under the flag and anthem of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The First Asian Youth Games were held in Singapore from 29 June 2009 to 7 July 2009 and featured over 90 sporting events. Afghanistan did not send its delegation to the Games.[17]
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