- Title: AFGHANISTAN: AFGHAN CHILDREN LEARN THE MARTIAL ART SPORT OF JUDO
- Date: 25th May 2004
- Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PLAYERS WARMING UP/ COACH AFGHAN JUDO PLAYER FRAIBA REZZAY (WITH ORANGE BELT) PRACTICING (SOUNDBITE) (English) REZZAY SAYING: "All of your body - you can use your hand, your leg, your hip. The hip is most important in judo because of the pulling and this is throwing." VARIOUS OF REZZAY WITH COACH DOING PULLING AND THROWING (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) TAFSIR SIAPOUSH, COACH, SAYING: "For many years, people were doing judo. But there were no female judo players. This is the first time that we see girls taking up judo, and it's a welcome move." STIG TRAAVIK, SENIOR ADVISER TO THE AFGHAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAAVIK SAYING: "The biggest problem is is we don't have enough time. Most of the girls with whom Fraiba is going to compete with, they've been doing judo for maybe 10 years. They've been training more or less full time for three, four, five years. Fraiba's done judo for a year and she now started two months ago to train professionally. We don't have enough time, that's our main problem." VARIOUS OF REZZAY TRAINING WITH HER COACH SIAPOUSH (SOUNDBITE) (English) REZZAY SAYING: "Yes, Jackie Chan. (Why is he your favourite?) Because I can learn a lot of things from him. He's professional." MORE OF REZZAY WITH COACH SIAPOUSH TRAINING, BOY WATCHING REZZAY TRAINING WITH COACH SIAPOUSH (SOUNDBITE) (English) TRAAVIK SAYING: "Of course it will be an entirely new situation for them and I think another problem might be their own expectations. They of course want to win a medal for their country. But the main thing is that they perform that will make the Afghans proud and I'm sure that they can." MORE OF REZZAY TRAINING WITH COACH SIAPOUSH (SOUNDBITE) (English) REZZAY SAYING: "I'm feeling, I'm happy and my family encouraged me to be brave, don't worry about the competition. My family said that a medal is not important. You are not going only for medal. So this is very big opportunity, you're going for the Olympics, you are the first girl who's going into the Olympics. I worry about it...(What's worrying you...?) Yesterday, I was emotional about. I was crying..." MORE OF REZZAY TRAINING WITH COACH SIAPOUSH
- Embargoed: 9th June 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Domestic Politics,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAD8PJ3QGN701EI56KLAL917T0G
- Story Text: Children in Afghanistan take judo practice.
Around 20 children gather at this studio in the capital Kabul every afternoon to play judo - a sport that is attracting many of Afghanistan's children, some as young as five.
While some of the children see practice sessions as a chance to play, one of the older ones is taking the sport seriously.
"All of your body - you can use your hand, your leg, your hip. The hip is most important in judo because of the pulling and this is throwing," advised Fraiba Rezzay who only took up the sport less than a year ago.
The seventeen-year-old Rezzay knows what she's talking about when she talks about judo.
She has to, not only is Rezzay the country's top female judo player she is also one of only two Afghan female athletes who, for the first time in history, will compete in the Olympic Games.
Her coach Tafsir Siapoush is one of those actively promoting the sport, especially among Afghan girls.
"For many years, people were doing judo. But there were no female judo players. This is the first time that we see girls taking up judo and it's a welcome move," said Siapoush who counts among her students 15 orphans whose ages range from 5 to 18.
During the time of the harsh Taliban rule, Rezzay's family fled to neighbouring Pakistan where she was exposed to outside influences like martial arts.
When they came home after the Taliban were toppled by Afghan opposition forces backed by U.S. airpower in 2001, Rezzay knew exactly what she wanted to do.
But it wasn't easy picking up any sport in Afghanistan, especially for women, who were banned from playing any sport during the Taliban.
The fear left by the harsh Taliban rule, compounded by society's conservative views on women, and the absence of any sports facilities meant a painfully slow start for any type of sporting activity.
But with the help of international sports organisations and individual volunteers, keen to get Afghanistan back into the sporting map, various sports activities were held in various girls schools all over the capital.
Soon, more and more girls were turning up at covered gymnasiums - all eager to play.
And organisers knew they had another, more welcome problem on their hands - insufficient facilities and infrastructure to cope with the demand.
Athletes like Rezzay were undaunted and continued practicing.
Rezzay practices her kicks and throws at the country's only studio for female judo players.
"The biggest problem is is we don't have enough time.
Most of the girls with whom Fraiba is going to compete with, they've been doing judo for maybe 10 years. They've been training more or less full time for three, four, five years. Fraiba's done judo for a year and she now started two months ago to train professionally. We don't have enough time, that's our main problem," said Norwegian Stig Traavik, senior adviser to the Afghan National Olympic Committee, a former judo Olympian athlete, and one of those who re-introduced judo to post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Despite the limited time for training, Rezzay is keeping her fighting spirit, drawing support from family and friends, and from time to time, getting inspiration from her idol.
"Jackie Chan. (Why is he your favourite?) Because I can learn a lot of things from him. He's professional," giggled Rezzay.
Organisers and coaches know that except for a male boxer, Afghanistan's official delegation, which includes a female runner, a male sprinter, and a male wrestler, stands a very slim chance of winning.
But everyone agrees winning is not the important thing.
"Of course it will be an entirely new situation for them and I think another problem might be their own expectations. They of course want to win a medal for their country. But the main thing is that they perform that will make the Afghans proud and I'm sure that they can," said Traavik.
And for Rezzay, who knows that a nation of 29 million people reeling from years of war is counting on her to bring back Afghanistan's glory, sometimes the pressure can prove just a little too much.
"I'm feeling, I'm happy and my family encouraged me to be brave, don't worry about the competition. My family said that a medal is not important. You are not going only for medal. So this is very big opportunity, you're going for the Olympics, you are the first girl who's going onto the Olympics. I worry about it... Yesterday, I was emotional about. I was crying," said Rezzay.
For luck, Rezzay says she's bringing her favourite black shawl to Athens.
Rezzay and her fellow delegates left Afghanistan on Friday (May 21) for a 3-month intensive training in the Greek islands of Lesbos and Thessalonika. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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