Wonder Woman of the Week: Khalida Popal

The story of this week’s spotlight makes the fictitious story of Aragon from Lord of the Rings look like a kindergarten storytelling project. Growing up in a war-torn tyrannical country, this week’s Wonder Woman went from playing sports in secret and receiving death threats to becoming the head of her country’s women’s soccer program and a beacon of hope for girls everywhere that women can be professional athletes wherever they live. She faced a childhood of secrecy and oppression, a life aboard in refugee camps, teenage years of harassment, and young adulthood of playing sports not only against her on-the-field opponents, but against the off-the-field enemies attempting to force women into misogynistic gender roles. Not only did she overcome every single one of these obstacles, she went on to become the captain of her country’s women’s team and became an international ambassador for women in her sport. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Khalida Popal.

Born in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Khalida Popal began playing soccer in secret at the age of sixteen. Under Taliban rule, women and girls were forbidden from playing sports or attending sporting events- the soccer stadiums themselves had been converted into execution squares. Discontent with remaining in the home, sixteen year-old Popal began playing soccer in secret under the secluded yards of high neighborhood walls. The girls had to make sure not to make any noise while they played in fear of the authorities discovering their games. [1]

For young Khalida Popal, playing soccer in secret was only one small feature of the discrimination women faced in Taliban controlled Afghanistan. Popal decided to make her fight for women’s soccer a fight for women’s rights when she began advocating for the publicity of women’s soccer in Afghanistan. Her initial struggle for women’s rights through sport led to such extreme backlash that Popal was forced to flee the country. [2]

Before her departure from Afghanistan, Khalida Popal was elected the captain of her country’s women’s soccer team- and from abroad, Popal continued to campaign for the respect and for the rights of her teammates. While in asylum in Denmark, Popal became a regular speaker with UN Women, the Brazilian Olympic Committee, and the International Olympic Committee and spoke at the 60th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women which highlighted sports as a medium for achieving gender equality. [3]

During her asylum, Khalida Popal continued to play with her national team, but- because of the numerous death threats to both her and her teammates- the team was forced to play under the protection of a NATO soccer field in Afghanistan. The field doubled as a helicopter landing pad, and during one game, the teams had to pause their match on several occasions because the Taliban were bombing the gateway to the compound. Popal now works with the Danish company that designed Afghanistans’ women’s jerseys (in conjunction with the hijab some athletes required) and an international NGO to use soccer as a tool for advancing the rights of women around the globe. [4]

When soccer star Khalida Popal began playing soccer as a child, there were no women playing the sport- or if they did, they did so in secrecy. Now, somewhere between two and three thousand women play soccer publically and proudly in the country once dominated by Taliban rule. Not only that, there are also women coaches, referees, and leaders in the sport in Afghanistan training and preparing the new generation of women in the sport who have the right to play sports thanks to the work of Khalida Popal. [5]

When Khalida Popal was a teenage girl, she had to play the sport she loved in secret under the danger that she could be killed for doing so. Not only did she continue to play soccer, Popal demanded that Afghanistan grant women the right to play sports. She received such backlash that she fled her country, but continued to advocate for women’s right to play from abroad. Her work paid off and she returned to her home country a heroine for women in sports. Thanks to the work of Khalida Popal, women can now play soccer in Afghanistan and even have an international team dominating the Asian Football circuit. While women continue to face gender inequality in Afghanistan, Popal is helping to prove how powerful sports can be when used as a tool for women’s civil rights.

Masters, James. “Death threats and football: How Khalida Popal escaped the Taliban.” International Edition. CNN; 31 October 2016. Web. 21 December 2016.

Popal, Khalida. “My Journey, My Dream: Khalida Popal.” Afghanistan Women’s National Team. Girl Power; 16 July 2016. Web. 21 December 2016.

Popal, Khalida.”From where I stand: Khalida Popal.” UN Women. United Nations; 25 July 2016. Web. 21 December 2016.

Dunlap, Tiare. “Death Threats, Bomb Scares and Helicopter Landings: Inside the Formation of Afghanistan’s First National Women’s Soccer Team.” People Sports. People Magazine; 8 March 2016. Web. 21 December 2016.

Linehan, Meg. “WATCH: Khalida Popal discusses the future of women’s soccer in Afghanistan.” Excelle Sports; 19 October 2016. Web. 21 December 2016.