Esmatullah Haidari takes to the ski slope to the cheers of his opponents, who hope to beat his best time but share with him the same determination to keep this sport alive in Afghanistan.
4 mins
Skiing is not commonly practiced in this country, which has many mountains, but is very poor after four decades of war. Equipment is rare and expensive, and the Afghan Ski Federation does not have the means to promote it.
This sport also lost its best practitioners and sponsors after the fall in 2021 of the American-backed government and the return to power of the Taliban.
Despite everything, a few hundred enthusiasts continue to keep the flame alive, in a handful of provinces.
The Federation organized a competition last week on a mountain near the town of Bamiyan, in the center of the country.
“ Ski races have lost a little of their color » under the Taliban government, but “there are still enthusiastic skiers who do not want skiing to disappear,” Esmatullah, 23, who is the captain of a local team, told AFP.
Dressed in mismatched fluorescent outfits, skiers carry their skis on their shoulders to reach the top of the slope, in the absence of any lift system.
A handful of spectators – men – applaud each arrival of skiers. The competition is aimed at both children and adults, but not women, who are prohibited from practicing any sport by the Taliban authorities.
“ We miss our sisters »
However, according to the Federation, almost 60% of skiers were women, before the Taliban came to power.
On the snow-capped peaks of Bamiyan, near the site of the giant Buddhas blown up by the Taliban in 2001 under their previous regime, the sport has been popular for more than a decade.
Under the previous government, the region attracted hundreds of skiers and spectators, including women and foreign tourists.
The latter continue to come to ski. Some joined Afghans on March 1 for a race organized by the local Bamiyan club. But no Afghan women are there.
“ We feel their absence “, underlines Shah Agha Rezayee, an experienced coach and skier who dreams of seeing Afghanistan represented at the Olympic Games.
“ Everyone should be free and able to study and ski. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy », he adds. “ We miss our sisters very much. »
Afghan skiers have to make do with equipment from donations – before the race organized by the Bamiyan club, tourists brought 130 kg of equipment into the country – and wooden skis.
Many take risks by descending without a helmet or with minimal equipment.
“ We won’t let skiing die »
These fans have “ revived the spirit » skiing, continuing despite the difficulties, appreciates Shah Agha Rezayee. “We have to work for it, because it’s what motivates us, interests us and what we love.”
Last week’s race was opened by the province’s Taliban governor, Abdullah Sarhadi. An encouraging sign according to the participants, who however demanded more concrete support, and that permission be granted to women and girls to ski.
“ We have a very limited budget », observes Mohammad Daud Kargar, the president of the Federation. “In the past, a few organizations cooperated with us, but in the last three years we have not received any help.”
Nasratullah Nasrat, who learned to ski by watching videos on YouTube, hopes to one day be able to wear the colors of Afghanistan in competition, but also worries about the “very limited resources” available to skiers.
“ Unfortunately, the government pays little attention to this. The slopes have not been prepared and recently there has been less snowfall “, says the 20-year-old young man, who came from the neighboring province of Wardak.
The snow arrived very late this year in this country accustomed to very harsh winters, but which, at the same time, is strongly affected by climate change and is undergoing its third year of drought.
Esmatullah also recognizes that his sport faces a number of challenges in Afghanistan, but does not lose hope.
“ Even if we don’t have the resources, we will make wooden skis and we will not let skiing die in Afghanistan, especially in Bamiyan », he promises.