Female boxer Sadaf Rahimi risks her life every time she steps into the ring, but it’s never her opponent she’s afraid of. The 18-year-old is Afghanistan’s only national-level female fighter and practises at the Ghazi Stadium in Kabul – where the old Taliban regime used to stage public executions.
Although the government provides secure transport for her to travel to and from training, there are times when she has to train in secret to avoid extremist groups who are against women participating in sports, particularly male-dominated ones such as boxing.
“There’s a continual threat to sportsmen and women in Afghanistan from the Taliban,’’ says her coach, Eighties boxer Mohammad Sabir Sharifi. “Sadaf was very scared but she has learned to take risks.’’
The teenager knows that competing as a boxer means putting her and her family’s lives in danger, but she is keen to “prove to other Afghan women that anything is possible’’.
As a young Muslim woman from Kabul, Sadaf was never going to make it as a boxer and stay safe. In a culture where it is wrong for a woman to even walk down the street alone, female boxing is unheard of.
Sadaf grew up in a generation ruled by the Taliban, when it was frowned upon for women to have an education, never mind a sporting hobby. But with passion and sheer determination, Sadaf has fought her suffocating constraints and is now a fully fledged international female boxer.
She was hoping to make it to last month’s London Olympics but sadly had to drop out for several reasons. The categories were initially pretty open, but as the Olympics approached, it was finally decided that only the 51, 60 and 75kg weight categories were to be held. Sadaf usually fights in the 54kg category, which means that she would have to go up against much heavier 60kg fighters.
The International Boxing Association decided not to give her a wildcard invitation, fearing that boxing against opponents of a much greater weight and ability could threaten her physical safety in the ring.
Then there was the continuous threats to her and her family from the Taliban – they became so great that it wasn’t worth taking the risk.
Watching his prodigy bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet Rocky-style, Mohammad says, “She went for Olympic training in the UK after participating in several events across the globe, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be.’’
Sadaf though remains undeterred. “If you’re a woman in this part of the world then it’s tough,’’ she shrugs. “But I’ve always been determined to do what I believe in. I’ve always hated the anti-women methods in our culture and I would love to hold gold high above my head one day and show everyone how far we’ve come in my country.’’
Street smart
She keeps her black hair tightly bound under a scarf and protective headgear. Sporting a pair of tights under her regulation boxing shorts, she steps into the practice ring to spar with another budding female boxer under Mohammad’s watchful eye.
It’s clear as she jabs, punches and scowls her way through the hour-long session, that she’s brave. Street tough. Even at the age of 11, she could fight with her male cousins and win. This young girl was not to be messed with.
But it wasn’t until she was 14 and saw boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali, fighting on YouTube, that Sadaf decided she too wanted to be a female fighter. Soon, her schoolteachers learnt of her strength and skill and decided to encourage her parents to support her talents.
“When my family first heard about my boxing they were horrified,” she says. “They used to look at me with hatred because I wanted to do something so [nontraditional]. They believed that girls should only look after their families and do household chores, but I wasn’t going to give up.’’
A terrifying experience
With the help of her teachers, Sadaf began to compete, but this made her situation even worse. “Word began to spread and people on the street were learning of my hobby,” she says. “Many were horrified that I was doing something so Western. People would shout at me and say I would go to hell.’’
And in 2010, Sadaf’s taxi-driving father received an anonymous phone call threatening to kidnap and murder his daughter. “It just made everything so much more terrifying,’’
she adds. “My father stopped us training or going outside for a month.’’
But then Sadaf, who has two older sisters who also box – Shabnam, 19, and Fahima, 20, managed to turn the tables when she competed and won silver at an amateur boxing competition in neighbouring Tajikistan.
And soon the positive press reports about her sporting achievements were everywhere, and people’s opinions changed as they were proud of her winning awards for their country.
“Things began to change after those trials,’’ she says. “People saw me as someone powerful who could do the impossible. It gave me such a good feeling. Even my family was proud that I’d brought home an award. My father said that he would support me from that day forward.’’
She also learned to take care of herself on the streets of Kabul, once even knocking out a local boy who made fun of her chosen sport.
Sadaf spent over a year training at least three days a week and eating a strict diet in preparation for the Olympics.
“I was so nervous when I stepped on a plane for the first time. It was remarkable,’’ she says. “When I travel to other countries to participate in competitions, I only focus on winning medals. But it’s been such an experience to travel outside my country and see the world.’’
Sadaf competed in the Women’s World Boxing Championships (WWBC), in China, in May and arrived in the UK in July to prepare for the Olympics, only for her wildcard invitation to be withdrawn. But the withdrawal has just spurred her on to work harder and get better.
Hidayatullah Mohmand, secretary general of the Afghanistan Boxing Federation, has commented that Sadaf’s appearance at the WWBC in China in May this year was a milestone for the country’s boxers.
Sadaf’s family are very proud of her now, but the threats continue. “We’re all still very aware of the risks. There are still many communities that stick to their strict conservative ideals and will do anything to stop them being abused. Our home could be bombed at any time and my family is still looked down on by some on the street. Some people don’t like what we stand for. It’s just sad,’’ she says.
But Sadaf, who wants to become a lawyer or journalist, now concentrates on the positive effect she has had on her country and how her achievements could help other Afghan women.
“Some positive people see me as a symbol of hope for our country and that encourages me a lot. I have inspired many Afghan women to fight those who prevent them from fulfilling their dreams. I’ll tell any woman that if you love something you need to keep fighting until you achieve your dreams.’’
