On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee.
Gone are the tight briefs they once wore to show off their bulging quadriceps and adductors, typically worth 50 percent of the marks in a competition. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts.
“In bodybuilding, we have problems. Now, we are forced to go forward in the way Shariah says,” Hamidullah Sherzai, a three-time Mr Afghanistan and coach for the national bodybuilding team, said.
Photo: AFP
Gesturing from his belly to his knees, he added: “This part of a man ... should not be shown.”
It is said that jury members view the candidates in their underwear backstage, before they strut their stuff in front of the public.
More than 200 men from 21 provinces competed in the annual fitness and bodybuilding competition on Wednesday, parading in front of the jury, Taliban members and a curious crowd in the venue’s gymnasium.
Mohammad Ayoub Azemi, 33 years old and 103kg, took home the title — almost a year after surviving a string of powerful earthquakes in his home province of Herat.
“I used to sleep inside a car during the tough conditions after the earthquakes. But now I have been able to win Mr Muscle,” he said, brimming with emotion.
His victory does not bring him any money — just a cup, a medal and prestige.
Behind the scenes, an armada of assistants copiously lacquer participants’ bodies with creams and sprays to give them a shiny, tanned tone.
Once on stage, the bodybuilders perform the classic poses of the discipline, straining their muscles.
Then, with hands on the back of the neck or a knee on the ground, they continue their peacocking for the several hundred spectators — exclusively male — who scream and whistle to encourage their favorites.
“This beloved country wants to be rebuilt,” the sound system thunders, spitting out a deafening, Taliban-approved song permitted under a standing ban on music.
Gyms equipped with weight-training rooms sprouted throughout the country during the 20 years of foreign-backed governments after the US and NATO drove the Taliban from power in 2001.
During that first reign, which began in 1996, the Taliban authorities tolerated bodybuilding, but on the condition the men wear trousers.
Afghanistan has won numerous prizes in international bodybuilding competitions, and three years on from the Taliban government’s return to power amid a chaotic US withdrawal, performances continue to unleash passion.
Bodybuilding is one of the few hobbies still available to men who, unlike women, are permitted to visit gyms.
However, the cost is a significant barrier. Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises after decades of war. Coming second in the “fitness” category, 24-year-old Noor Rehman Rehmani regrets “the decline” in financial support from the authorities.
However, he is pleased at least that the competitions continue.
Najibullah Ahadi, a 30-year-old bodybuilder in the audience, laments that those who compete abroad “pay most of the expenses from their own pockets,” whereas previously the government would help.
“Afghanistan is currently in such a situation that happiness is not found easily. So this is an opportunity, we enjoy it,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS