Forgotten History-makers of Olympics

Rubina, a Hazara athlete participated in Beijing Olympics 2008 and Athens 2004.

Kabul: Rohullah Nikpai’s victory in Beijing drew all the buzz, somewhat obscuring the other history-making contenders of Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 Olympics. In this post we present two Afghan athletes — two Hazara sportswomen —  who made their own history in the Olympics.

Rubina Muqimyar, born July 3, 1986, was the only female athlete on the Afghanistan Team participating in the Beijing Olympics. She is a second-time Olympian, her first time being Athens in 2004, where she got the 17th position in women’s 100m Sprint. She was the first woman in the history of Afghanistan to participate in an Olympic event.

Rubina Muqimyar at the Beijing Olympics 2008

Rubina Muqimyar running in Women's 100m sprint at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, China.

Fariba, a Hazara female athlete, participated in Athens Olympics in 2004

Fariba Rezayee, born September 3, 1985, was another female star who participated in the Judo event in Athens Olympics of 2004. Her family had left Afghanistan as refugees to Pakistan because of the subjugation of the Taliban era. She first started training as a boxer, but then focused on Judo. Fariba represented Afghanistan in Judo in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Together, Rubina Muqimyar and Fariba Rezayee are two history-making girls who have not only defied the odds of a repressive society, but also broken the centuries-old chains of ethnic persecution and deprivation. Our special tributes go to them.

Photos courtesy of Reuters , BBC