Related Research Articles
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometres (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital. As of 2021, Afghanistan's population is 40.2 million, composed of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Qizilbash, Aimak, Pashayi, Baloch, Pamiris, Nuristanis, and others.
Pashtuns, also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Eastern Iranian ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They historically were also referred to as Afghans until the 1970s, after the term's meaning had become a demonym for members of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Daykundi, also spelled as Daikundi, Daikondi, or Daykondi, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 516,504 and is a Hazara dominated province.
The field hockey tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics was the fifth edition of the field hockey event at the Summer Olympics.
Kama is a district in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, to the east of Jalalabad. Its population, which is 100% Pashtun, was estimated at 180,000 in 2012. The district is within the heartland of the Mohmand tribe of Pashtuns. The district centre is the village of Sanger Srye Kama. The districts includes most of the Kama Valley.
Afghanistan has competed in 15 Summer Games. They have never appeared in any Winter Games. The country made its first appearance at the Berlin Games in 1936. It has sent a delegation to 14 of the 19 Summer Games since then. It is organised by the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, which is currently presided by Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen.
Sport in Afghanistan is managed by the Afghan Sports Federation. Cricket and association football are the two most popular sports in Afghanistan. The traditional and the national sport of Afghanistan is Buzkashi. The Afghan Sports Federation promotes cricket, association football, basketball, volleyball, golf, handball, boxing, taekwondo, weightlifting, bodybuilding, track and field, skating, bowling, snooker, chess, and other sports in the country.
Rugby union is a relatively minor sport in Afghanistan, but is increasing in popularity. Afghanistan's current indigenous rugby sides formed in 2011, and played their first match barefoot against New Zealand Special Air Service troops in Kabul's green zone. The country's first official rugby tournament was sponsored by the British embassy in December 2011. The Afghan team's first overseas match was played as an exhibition rugby sevens match against the United Arab Emirates national team's development side on 27 April 2012, and played in the Bournemouth Sevens Festival at the Bournemouth Sports Club in June 2012.
National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, former Afghanistan National Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee representing Afghanistan. Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen is the current president of the committee as of 2018.
Afghanistan is a member of the South Asian Zone of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and has participated in the Asian Games since their inception in 1951. The Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, established in 1935 and recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 1936, is the National Olympic Committee for Afghanistan.
Capital punishment in Afghanistan is legal and could be carried out secretly or publicly. The convict could be hanged or shot to death. Stoning, amputation, and flogging were also sometimes used as a method for punishment, especially during the late 1990s. Public executions have existed throughout Afghanistan's history. They have continued with the Taliban returning to power in August 2021. Some executions were recently condemned by the United Nations. The capital offenses generally include heinous crimes such as mass murders and are governed by Sharia, along with civil laws.
Afghanistan participated in the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea, from September 29 to October 14, 2002. This marked Afghanistan's return to international sporting events after the fall of the Taliban regime. The Afghan delegation consisted of 12 officials and 44 competitors participating in seven different sports. The Afghanistan national football team played its first international match since the 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification phase. An English teacher from Kabul, Roia Zamani, won a bronze medal in the 72 kg middleweight class of taekwondo without winning a single match. Zamani was the only medalist from the Afghan side and the first Afghan medalist in 20 years. None of the remaining athletes advanced past the qualifying stages, and as such did not win any medals.
The Afghanistan men's national basketball team is the men's national basketball team of Afghanistan and is controlled by the Afghanistan National Basketball Federation. Afghanistan joined FIBA and became a member of FIBA Asia in 1968. In 2010, Afghanistan won the 2010 South Asian Games, becoming the first Afghan sports team to win gold in the nations history.
Football in Afghanistan has traditionally been played by men as women were prevented from participating in sports.
The Afghanistan women's national volleyball team represents Afghanistan in international women's volleyball competitions and friendly matches.
Afghanistan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The country's participation at Rio de Janeiro marked its fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics and fourteenth in total. Afghanistan had officially made its debut in 1936 and missed five editions since then. Rohullah Nikpai, who had previously won a medal for Afghanistan in taekwondo, did not participate. Afghanistan failed to earn a single Olympic medal in Rio for the first time since 2004.
The Afghanistan men's national field hockey team represent Afghanistan in men's international field hockey competitions and is controlled by the Afghanistan Hockey Federation, the governing body for field hockey in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
- ↑ "Welcome afghansportsfederation.org - Hostmonster.com". www.afghansportsfederation.org.
