PARIS (AP) — Refugee aid worker Manizha Talash, also known as “B-Girl Talash,” was arrested by the first Olympic breaking competition on Friday after wearing a cape emblazoned with the words “Free Afghan Women” during her pre-qualifying bout against India Sardjoe – known as “B-Girl India”.
The 21-year-old originally comes from Afghanistan and represents the Olympic Refugee team. She lost the fight for pre-qualification against Sardjoe and would not have progressed even without her disqualification.
Political statements and slogans are banned on the field and podiums at the Olympic Games. The World DanceSport Federation, the governing body for breakdancing at the Olympic Games, issued a statement afterwards saying she had been “disqualified for displaying a political slogan on her clothing during the pre-qualifier battle.”
Talash applied for asylum in Spain after fleeing Taliban rule in her home country in 2021.
“I’m here because I want to realize my dream. Not because I’m afraid,” she told the Associated Press before the Olympics from Spain, where she was granted asylum.
The one-off pre-qualifying bout between Talash and Sardjoe was added in May when Talash was named to the Olympic squad after the B-girl from Afghanistan missed registration for qualifying events. The International Olympic Committee’s executive board invited her to participate after learning of her efforts to defy the Taliban’s strict rule in her home country.
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AP Olympiad: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
