Marzieh Hamidi, Afghanistan: Defying the Taliban Through Taekwondo

we can expect until the end of this year about uh 130 million displaced the people and migrants set by Maia hamidi she was part of Afghanistan's National Taekwondo team and she's won several gold medals Taliban say to us never come to the gym again never think about it to go to gym again because if we see you around the gym we're going to do what we want [Music] today we're speaking with marier humidi International Olympic Committee scholarship holder who is an athlete in Taekwondo now marier was born in Iran to Afghan parents and eventually moved home to Afghanistan where she lived until her life completely changed in 2021 when the tal Bond took over today I incredibly honored to talk to her where she's going to shed light on her struggles and her hopes for the future I us talk Tech Mondo when I was in Iran uh in 2020 I moved to my country Afghanistan and I joined National Tech the team in Afghanistan I was a national Tech Wonder team and I Was preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris but uh because the Taliban came to Afghanistan and they took the power I couldn't stay anymore in my country because uh they banned the sport uh School everything for wom and I came to Paris to the city of Hosting Olympics this year now I'm training with the French team but officially I will represent a refugee team at the Olympics in Paris 2024 tell us about your childhood growing up in Iran um and also Afghanistan and what it means to be a woman there uh I was born in Iran and I grew up there as a refugee they never accept me in society like them and for me it was very hard to uh study for me it was everything hard when I was in Iran because my parents were Afghan because I was Afghan but it was good I had a good friend my first coach in Tech Mondo was a Iranian woman she's amazing there were people that they were supporting me and they were not um against me and racist about my identity but the system and uh many people they were not happy of Afghan people that they are there so this is the difficulty of uh being an Refugee in Iran is not about to be a woman or man it's difficult at all to be a refugee in Iran but because of that my parents they decided to move to Afghanistan when I moved to my country I join national team I feel I have my identity you know I feel I am someone I became in love with my country and the culture the people but because I was woman for me it was more hard because um they think that women are not strong it's not just about the Taliban it's about the society that many people they didn't like to see a free woman and Especial a woman that is doing Tech W and for them it was like oh she's kicking so high I can see her legs uh like you know they make it sexual you know like the way that they talk about my sport which is for me it was a fight you know I never think it like them you know day by day was hard because when I was going to the uh training uh people make fun of me in street because I was with my bag you know with my stuff H even the Federation they never focus on woman team because they were like oh they're not good you know they're not strong for them it was always men day by day I was telling to myself no Maria don't give up you have to became champion from the inside of Afghanistan you know and then uh when the Taliban came everything was finished for us you know I could go to gym I could go to school I could do something before the Taliban with many problems security problems but still I could go but when they Taliban came I received a message from my coach he told me that Taliban say to us that uh like tell to the girls uh never come to the gym again never think about it to go to gym again because if we see you around the a gym we going to do what we want you know to to the girls so I say to my coach they really say that he say yes if you don't believe me you can go and try I say no thank you I'm okay I don't want to try and to put myself in a danger so on that time I understand that I'm losing my identity as a woman in my country I cannot be visible in my country women are invisible now in Afghanistan and there is a gender aparti in Afghanistan and there is many things happening to the women in my country it's not just they are banned from schools you know it's not just they are banned to go to gym there is more than that even they cannot go out without their brother without their husband so there is many sad things that is happening to women of Afghanistan right now and I'm very sad that uh I cannot do anything for them because I was there for 5 months you know for me it was only in the news Taliban you know I watch them in the TV I never seen them in my life like when I when I was when I analyzed that they are here and we lost everything for me it was like no it's not possible and every day I was thinking how I how I should continue my life with borka I never think that I have to leave my country you know I was thinking how to uh fight how to deal what is the solution so I understand the situation is different I I decided to leave my country and to fight out of Afghanistan for my country for the woman and to follow my dreams it was very hard for me to leave my country but you know there was no choice for me and I just wanted to be safe thank you so much for for sharing and opening us also a to a reality that we might not be aware that is happening um in which year did you um move from Afghanistan so I arrived in 1 of December to Paris in 2021 and uh it was a hard time I remember because uh when I left the airport and when I went to inside of the car I just felt like I lost I lost my home you know on that time I felt it like from my heart that I lost home and when I open my phone and when I checked the Google I said oh I'm so far I'm so far from home and it it was so hard for me to see that because it was it was not what I want you know I just start crying I remember it was so cold it was December so cold and it was so cloudy I remember and I understand that for me it's finished and now I'm in Exile and I have to live in Exile you know far from home the only solution for me it was to stay strong M say you have to stay strong if you left home you have to work to make PR yeah I just want to say one thing um about the a refugee atlet that when they leave the home and when they start again this sport and they want to continue I just want to say it's not really easy to win and to achieve because for example for me I lost my confidence I was in a like big depression in my life still I am fighting with that with my trauma everything and that all of this affect my Sport and when I was going competition sometimes I was not confident I was like why I'm fighting for what I'm fighting I was asking this question for me most of the time I was I was not able to sleep because I was overthink you know tost stress and when I I had when even when I slept I had a lot of um nightmar you know all of this cost energy and I want to say it's not just when you leave okay you are safe everything is good no and still I'm facing with that still I'm fighting with that you know so all of this is hard and it's not easy to be focused and to to achieve quickly you know it's not magic do you get some um emotional support like um I know for example I have a um mental coach like do you get access to some of the resources like that to help also with like the process of I uh yes for me now I have a mentor coach and I start with my mental coach since since uh uh no uh November November December uh it's a bit late but you know I couldn't find so it was a bit difficult I recently watched like an interview of T which is like the greatest judoka of all time and he said that we as athlete we have a physical coach so for the head we need the mental coach so why is that such an issue to have a mental coach so everything is connect to here and we need to fix this you know how do you pick yourself up and keep going the power of selft talk and to be strong I think this this come from your heart you know all of this all of these sadness sometimes it costs my energy it can break me down but at some point that give me power to continue because when I see oh what's happening in my country I don't want to give up I'm like no I have to fight there are millions girls in Afghanistan they are waiting for me and other women to talk about them to fight for their rights I have to use from this freedom to talk for my uh my country to the woman and to fight for them and to be the voice of Afghan woman out of Afghanistan because nobody kill me here if I talk about uh Taliban and the problems you know for for listeners for community members what can we do how can we support Afghan women you can write about uh Afghan women in your social media you know you can help to the angels that they are helping to the Afghan woman to the children or to the people because there is also problem that uh people they don't have enough food to eat in Afghanistan so it's not uh one problem you know it's a lot there is many uh refugees from Afghanistan now all around the world in different countries to help the refugees you know to understand them to support them they need time you know because uh leaving home is hard I'd love to transition to to talk about what you're doing in Paris now um you said that you are representing and you want to win for women in Afghanistan what are your hopes for the future As you move towards towards the Olympics for me the Olympics in Paris it will not be the last you know I want to win you know I want to compete for the next Olympics also in Los Angeles and uh yeah just I hope and I don't want to stop you know I don't want it's just the beginning for me you know what do you want to say to women who are competing in Paris this summer um maybe not not just women on the refugee team not just people in Taekwondo but anyone who is a woman who's going to be in Paris this summer competing um uh first I want to say that um we can't say just uh there is problem for women only in Afghanistan you know all around the world there is problem for women in different way you know we have to fight all of us it's not finished for us you know so uh stay focused it's very important be confident which is very important at the moment and uh fight for what you want and don't give up and I hope for the athletes woman athletes who are competing in Olympics and Par Olympics I I hope they win and they achieve the big things in their life thanks for tuning into flame bearers if you like what you're hearing please leave us a positive review on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts you can also follow us along on social media for more behindth scenes exclusive content on Instagram Tik Tok x Facebook LinkedIn whatever social platform you are on thank you and stay tuned for our upcoming episode [Music]