Olympic breaking athlete disqualified for 'free Afghan women' cape

B-girl Talash, from the Refugee Olympic team, competes while wearing a cape that reads "Free Afghan Women" during the B-girls pre-qualifier on August 9. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Refugee athlete Manizha Talash was disqualified from the B-Girl breaking competition at the Olympics for wearing a cape with the words "Free Afghan Women" during her breaking battle on Friday.

The 21-year-old, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban began seizing control in 2021, now lives in Spain and represents the Refugee Team at the games as B-girl Talash.

As she made her debut during the pre-qualifier battle, Talash revealed a baby blue cape under her jumper emblazoned with the words calling for Afghan women’s emancipation.

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World DanceSport Federation, which governs the sport, issued a statement later on Friday saying "B-Girl TALASH (EOR) was disqualified for displaying a political slogan on her attire during the Pre-Qualifier battle. Results have been updated accordingly."

"I didn’t leave Afghanistan because I’m afraid of the Taliban or because I can’t live in Afghanistan," Talash said before action got underway. "I left because I want to do what I can for the girls in Afghanistan, for my life, my future, for everyone."

Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan became the most repressive country in the world for women’s rights, according to the United Nations. The hardline Islamist group has closed secondary schools for girls, banned women from attending university, restricted their travel without a male chaperone, and banned them from public spaces such as parks and gyms.

The Taliban’s so-called morality police have also disproportionately targeted women and girls, creating a "climate of fear and intimidation," according to a UN report published last month.

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Talash found the sport of breaking through watching videos on social media. Her ability to train, however, was disrupted as she looked for somewhere to settle.

The breaker became one of 37 athletes representing the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris, and is proud to do so.

"All refugees have a very difficult life, but they will go to the Games," she said. "So to me, to be part of the team, it means strength." She added: "People from my country and also girls would tell me: ‘You need to learn how to cook and clean the house.’"

Breaking has been flourishing on the streets of New York and other U.S. cities since the 1970s, but Paris marks its first time its athletes, known as B-boys and B-girls, freestyled their moves on the world’s biggest stage.

Talash’s slogan may have fallen foul of rules against political slogans at the Olympics but it has also found her fans.

"I would like to say that it’s only been 11 minutes of breaking and a competitor already pulled out a surprise jacket that says 'Free Afghan Women'—THAT is breaking. THAT is hiphop culture," Nadira Goffe, an associate writer at Slate magazine, wrote on X.