Sport in Afghanistan - Other Sports

Other Sports

Basketball has existed in Afghanistan since at least the 1970s, and is slowly becoming popular again. It is played by both Afghan men and women. The Afghanistan national basketball team won a gold medal in the 2010 South Asian Games.

Other sports in which Afghanistan competes include volleyball, golf, track and field, team handball, boxing, taekwondo, weighlifting, bodybuilding, ice skating, bowling, snooker, and chess. Saleh Mohammad is a professional Afghan snooker player, who previously represented Pakistan in international competitions but is now representing Afghanistan.

Buzkashi is a traditional sport that was brought to the region by the Mongols in the 13th century. It is mostly played by people in northern Afghanistan and in Central Asia, as well as in northwestern parts of neighboring Pakistan.

The Afghanistan Rugby Federation (ARF) was formed in 2011, and is registered with the National Olympic Committee and approved by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan also became a member of the Federation of International Bandy in 2012.

Read more about this topic:  Sport In Afghanistan

Famous quotes containing the word sports:

    In the past, it seemed to make sense for a sportswriter on sabbatical from the playpen to attend the quadrennial hawgkilling when Presidential candidates are chosen, to observe and report upon politicians at play. After all, national conventions are games of a sort, and sports offers few spectacles richer in low comedy.
    Walter Wellesley (Red)

    The whole idea of image is so confused. On the one hand, Madison Avenue is worried about the image of the players in a tennis tour. On the other hand, sports events are often sponsored by the makers of junk food, beer, and cigarettes. What’s the message when an athlete who works at keeping her body fit is sponsored by a sugar-filled snack that does more harm than good?
    Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)