PARIS – Refugee breaker Manizha Talash, or “B-Girl Talash,” was disqualified from the inaugural Olympic breakdancing competition on Friday after she wore a cape emblazoned with the words “Free Afghan Women” during her pre-qualifying match against India Sardjoe – known as “B-Girl India.”
The 21-year-old, who originally comes from Afghanistan and represents the Olympic refugee team, lost in the pre-qualification fight against Sardjoe and would not have progressed even without the disqualification.
Political statements and slogans are banned on the field and on the podium 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 Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
