PARIS — After fleeing Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power, a group of snowboarders has been granted permission to continue their sport in France, marking a new chapter in their lives.
Among them are Masour Khanzi and Nasima Zairak, who, after leaving Afghanistan, have found a way to pursue their passion for snowboarding in their new home, Agence France-Presse reported.
“Snowboarding was my reason to stay alive. It gives me the motivation to keep going, even though I lost everything in my country,” said Khanzi, who has been living in France for the past two years.
Khanzi grew up in Kabul and was 18 when the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. The sudden pullout led to the rapid collapse of the country’s Western-backed government and the Taliban’s return to power after two decades of war.
At the time, Khanzi was part of a small community of about 20 amateur snowboarders in Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban’s takeover, snowboarding was a niche but beloved sport in Afghanistan, despite a lack of winter sports infrastructure or professional coaching. Enthusiasts would trek up the snowy slopes of the Hindu Kush, often relying on techniques learned from YouTube videos.
“Sports have always been about peace, not war—but the Taliban don’t see it that way,” Khanzi said.
According to Agence France-Presse, Khanzi and other Afghan snowboarders were able to obtain French visas after meeting French professional snowboarder Victor Daviet during an international competition in Pakistan.
Daviet’s organization, Snowboarders for Solidarity, later helped seven young Afghan athletes secure visas to France in the fall of 2022, providing them with a new opportunity to continue their sport in safety.
