Kimia Yousofi said on Tuesday she will represent the “stolen dreams and aspirations” of all Afghan women as part of Afghanistan’s six-person team for the Paris Olympics, AFP reported.

Yousofi, a 100-meter sprinter and Afghanistan’s flag bearer at the Tokyo Games, fled to neighboring Iran to escape prosecution when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. She was one of five athletes and administrators who, along with their families, were granted safe passage to Australia a year later.

“It’s an honour to once again represent the girls of my home country. Girls and women who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important thing,” the 28-year-old said via the Australian Olympic Committee. “I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of these women. Those who don’t have the authority to make decisions as free people. They don’t even have permission to enter a park.”

Yousofi expressed her deep gratitude to those who supported her journey and made her participation possible.

A gender-balanced team of three men and three women will represent Afghanistan later this month in Paris, marking the first Summer Olympics since the Taliban seized power in Kabul. The women will compete in track and field and cycling, while the men will compete in athletics, swimming and judo.

The athletes were selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in consultation with Afghanistan’s largely exiled national Olympic committee. All athletes, except the judoka, are based outside Afghanistan. The team will compete under the black-red-green flag and anthem of the Western-backed former republic, which was ousted by the Taliban.

The IOC has refused to accredit a single Taliban official, saying on Monday that it did not recognize Yousofi or her two female colleagues.

“Only three athletes are representing Afghanistan,” said Atal Mashwani, spokesman for the Taliban government’s sports directorate, referring to the male participants. “Currently, girls’ sports are stopped in Afghanistan. If girls’ sports are not played, how can they get into the national team?” he told AFP.

Yousofi’s participation in the Olympics is a powerful symbol of resilience and hope for Afghan women, who still face severe restrictions under the Taliban regime.