Olympic Movement making progress in getting Afghan sports community to safety but much work remains

More than 300 members of the Olympic community from Afghanistan are now safe outside the country but another 700 remain behind, still at risk.

The International Olympic Committee revealed the numbers on Tuesday, adding that many of the 700 are female athletes promoting and practicing their sport. The IOC said ensuring their safety is of the utmost importance.

The IOC remains in partnership with many organizations, including International Federations, National Olympic Committees, the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee, and others to make it happen.

As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under the new Taliban regime grows, the IOC is currently enacting plans to not only get the remaining people to a safe country but also to establish a humanitarian fund in order to provide necessary food and clothing to assist those who cannot yet leave.

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Qatar has offered the IOC their help with logistics leaving Kabul and distributing humanitarian assistance. The IOC has recently appealed to all NOCs to reach out to their local governments and obtain more humanitarian visas. So far, the response from many NOCs has been encouraging.

The IOC Director of NOC Relations and Olympic Solidarity James Macleod said in a report to the ANOC General Assembly, “It is worth noting the extraordinary spirit and solidarity demonstrated by the Olympic community. The success of all the actions taken by the IOC has been made possible thanks to this collaboration.”

He stressed the immediate focus will continue to be safeguarding the athletes and making sure sustainable support will continue for future Afghan athletes inside and outside Afghanistan. Macleod also confirmed all Afghan Olympians from the recently completed Tokyo Games, as well as the two Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic hopefuls are safely out of the country. They will be supported with scholarships and training grants.

The IOC has also provided safe passage to the Afghanistan NOC President, Secretary General and other federation members.

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