Afghan girls play table tennis in Shiberghan, capital of Jawzjan province, northern Afghanistan, Sept. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammad Jan Aria)
Having been playing table tennis for eight years, an Afghan girl says she played her favorite sport with no fear of the country's security problems but a dream to become a champion.
"We have to be brave and overcome all the obstacles and challenges," another player says.
SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- "I've been playing Ping Pong (table tennis) since I was nine years old and I play every day as it's a popular sport among girls here in Jawzjan," said 17-year-old Afghan girl Nargis Faiz.
Wearing sports gear and holding a paddle, Faiz told Xinhua that she has been playing table tennis over the past eight years with a dream to earn the title of champion in table tennis.
Jawzjan province with Shiberghan as its capital 390 km north of the capital Kabul has been regarded as a relatively troubled province as hardliner Taliban militants are operational in parts of the country.
Members of the Afghan security force take part in an operation in Jawzjan province, Afghanistan, May 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammad Jan Aria)
However, the ambitious athlete has downplayed the security concerns, saying she has continued playing her favorite sport free of fear.
"I am enjoying the support of my family and my parents encourage me to continue playing Ping Pong (table tennis), therefore I have no concerns about the security problems and regularly attend practice at the venue in Shiberghan city to improve my skills," Faiz said.
In conservative and patriarchal Afghanistan where many people especially in the countryside deeply believe in tribal traditions, it can be difficult for some girls to ignore the traditional customs and leave home to play sports.
Nevertheless, Faiz and some other like-minded girls have regularly left their homes to promote sports for women in the traditional society.
"Of course there are challenges, especially the security problems facing us, but we have to be brave and overcome all the obstacles and challenges," said Basira, a member of Afghanistan's table tennis team.
"If we want to become a champion, we have to ignore all the threats," Basira added.
Afghan girls play football in Shiberghan, capital of northern Jawzjan province, Afghanistan, Jan. 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammad Jan Aria)
Basira, who has been practicing table tennis over the past seven years and attended competitions in Shiberghan, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul and the western city of Herat, said the number of girls joining table tennis, football and fitness activities is constantly increasing in Shiberghan.
Afghan youngsters including girls have made considerable achievements in sports over the past 18 years following the collapse of the Taliban's reign in late 2001.
Afghan athletes have won medals at both regional and international competitions, including at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
"Currently, there are 33 females who are members of Jawzjan's provincial Ping Pong (table tennis) team and the number of those wanting to join is rising," Mashal Hashimi, head of the table tennis federation in Jawzjan province, told Xinhua. ■
