Oz evacuates over 50 female Afghan athletes

CANBERRA:

Australia

evacuated more than 50 female Afghan

athletes

and their dependents after lobbying by prominent figures from the sporting world, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday.

Australia has for more than a week been evacuating its citizens and some of its former staff from its embassy after the Taliban seized control of Kabul. About 1,000 people have been evacuated on Australian flights and ABC reported that among them were about 50 female athletes and their dependents, after their plight had drawn the support of several prominent former sporting figures.

Fifpro, the

worldwide association for professional footballers

that has also been heavily involved in efforts to get the athletes out, confirmed the group evacuation without giving numbers. “We are grateful to the Australian government for evacuating a large number of women footballers and athletes from Afghanistan,” Fifpro said. “These women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid.”

Khalida Popal, a former Afghan women’s team captain now living in Denmark, hailed an important victory. “The women footballers have been brave and strong in a moment of crisis and we hope they will have a better life outside Afghanistan,” she said.

Nikki Dryden, who swam for Canada at two Olympic Games, worked with a lawyer to complete the visa applications for the athletes, who included two Afghan Paralympians. Amid fears a protracted visa process would scupper the plan, the refugee advocates secured the help of Australia’s former soccer captain, Craig Foster, ABC reported. Foster then lobbied foreign minister Marise Payne and sports minister Richard Colbeck. AP