This Afghan Refugee Breakdancer Wore A "Free Afghan Women" Cape At The Olympics And Got Disqualified
"The girls of Afghanistan will never surrender. Whatever pressure you put on an Afghan girl – restrict her, or even imprison her - she'll definitely find a way out and will definitely achieve her goals. We fight and we will win."
Afghan woman refugee breakdancer Manizha Talash, also known as b-girl Talash, has been disqualified from the first ever Olympic breaking competition after she competed in a cape with the words “Free Afghan Women” on it.
On Friday, Aug. 9, in the third round of the first battle of the Games, the 21-year-old Olympic Refugee Team athlete took off her outer shirt to reveal a blue batman-like cape with the words “FREE AFGHAN WOMEN” written on it.
Talash, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021, was met with applause from her opponent, Dutch breaker India Sardjoe, as well as cheers from the crowd.
In a statement afterwards, World DanceSport Federation, the governing body of breakdancing, said Talash "was disqualified for displaying a political slogan on her attire during the Pre-Qualifier battle.”
Political statements and slogans are banned on the field of play and on podiums at the Olympics.
Born in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Talash discovered breakdancing through social media.
At 17, she joined Kabul-based breaking collective “Superiors Crew” as the only girl among 55 boys.
Despite facing opposition and death threats at the time, she said she hoped to be a role model for other girls and to compete at the Olympics one day.
When the Taliban seized power in 2021, they banned women and girls from education, work and sports.
Many community spaces were forced to close, including Superiors Crew, which had also received bomb threats.
That same year, Talash left her home country, moving to Pakistan for a year before she was granted asylum in Spain.
“I didn’t leave Afghanistan because I’m afraid of the Taliban or because I can’t live in Afghanistan,” Talash said. “I left because I want to do what I can for the girls in Afghanistan, for my life, my future, for everyone.”
She eventually qualified for the Paris Olympics as a member of the Olympic Refugee Team.
“I wanted to show people what is possible” she said. "The girls of Afghanistan will never surrender. Whatever pressure you put on an Afghan girl – restrict her, or even imprison her - she'll definitely find a way out and will definitely achieve her goals. We fight and we will win.”
Almost has reached out to Talash for comment.
Talash was ultimately defeated by Sardjoe in the pre-qualifier battle and would not have advanced even if she had not been disqualified.
Breakdancing made its debut for two days at the Paris Games but has not been included in the roster of events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
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