Sport in Afghanistan
The two most popular sports of Afghanistan are cricket and football. This is not so much a surprise since they have a lot of open areas that are conducive to such sports. But the traditional sport of the Afghan people is what is called Buzkashi. If you have watched Rambo, you would have seen him playing buzkashi with the Afghan fighters. It is played by horse-mounted men who attempts get a goat carcass to a goal. Some games recorded can take up to days to finish. Not many people outside the sports world might be surprised to learn that Afghanistan actually has a great range of sports from basketball to taekwondo.
But football is where they seem to excel. In 2011 SAFF Championship, the Afghanistan national football team (formed in 1922) tasted its first victory against Nepal and in the 2013 SAFF Championship where they were the clear favorites, they won their first title against India. The heroes of that game were Azadzai and Sandjar Ahmadi who made the one goal each and Mansur Faqiryar, the reason why India never made one.
During the Taliban regime, the playing of sports had a setback with all sports banned for both men and women. Since the fall of the Taliban, the playing of sports has become popular again, and women are participating in sports in greater numbers too.
Afghanistan is also very diverse and open when it comes to sport allowing women to play football and in 2007, the women's national football team was formed. The Afghan people have a great stadium to play their football matches which was built during King Amanullah Khan's reign which showed great national pride and support for their athletes.
Below are more details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Afghanistan.
Popular sports of Afghanistan
- Football (Soccer), Cricket, Boxing, Basketball
Traditional or Regional Sports of Afghanistan
- Buzkashi (the national sport of Afghanistan) - played mainly in the northern part of the country.
Afghanistan Sporting Success
- On April 9, 2010, Afghanistan defeated Nepal to win the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Twenty20 Cup.
Athletes from Afghanistan
- Rohullah Nikpai (Taekwondo) - only Olympic Games medal winner
Afghanistan Sports trivia
- Afghanistan's national sport of Buzkashi is a form of polo that is centered around claiming the carcass of a goat.
- The Afrgahistan national cricket team was granted Test playing status in 2017.
Afghanistan at major events
- Afghanistan first competed at the Olympic Games in 1936, and has been to many Olympics since then. They have missed 1952, 1976, 1984, 1992 and 2000 (banned). It was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that brought on a U.S. led to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. More about Afghanistan at the Summer Olympics
- Afghanistan have also been involved in the Asian Games. A precursor to the Asian Games, The West Asian Games, were held in New Delhi, India, in 1934, and included India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Palestine.
- Afghanistan at the Cricket World Cup
Past sporting events hosted in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan and Oman shared the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Twenty20 Cup in November 2007
Upcoming sporting events in Afghanistan
Annual sporting events held in Afghanistan
Sporting Facilities in Afghanistan
- Ghazi Stadium in Kabul
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