The UCI revealed today that the Afghanistan Women’s Road Championships will be held again this year in a show of solidarity.
The event will take place in Les Herbiers, France, as part of the French Elite Road Championships, which run from 26-29 June.
The Afghanistan Women’s Road Championships have not been held since 2022, when 50 refugee athletes competed in a road race in Aigle, Switzerland. The elite category was won by Fariba Hashimi, who went on to turn professional and now rides for Ceratizit Pro Cycling.
The 22-year-old said: “After winning the Women Elite race, I had the opportunity to join a UCI Women's Team. So it’s with great emotion that I am preparing to defend my title. I obviously hope to win, but I also hope that the event will allow other athletes to shine.”
Five athletes to compete
Two events will be held for the 2025 Championships: a 26.5km individual time trial on Thursday 26 June and a 115.5km road race on Saturday 28 June.
Five athletes will compete alongside the French athletes participating in their National Championships. Fariba Hashimi and her sister Yulduz Hashimi, who is also a professional cyclist, will compete in both events, alongside Zahra Rezayee. Samira Ehrari and Mahnaz Mohammadi will compete in the time trial only.
“[A] separate classification for Afghan athletes only will be established to determine the results of the 2025 Afghanistan Women's Road Championships,” the UCI said.
“Seeing the best Afghan female cyclists again competing in their National Championships will undoubtedly be an emotional occasion and a source of pride, three years after the last edition of the event,” said UCI president David Lappartient.
“I hope that this unique formula of a major National Federation hosting athletes from other countries – where it is not possible to hold such an event – as part of its own National Championships, will inspire others,” he added.
President of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme, Michel Callot, said: “We consider it our duty to show solidarity by responding to the request from our International Federation and opening our National Championships to those who are no longer able to practise their sport freely in their own country.”
Leaving Afghanistan
As reported by the BBC, Fariba Hashimi left Afghanistan with her sister Yulduz after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
The sisters contacted Alessandra Cappellotto, who won a world road title in 1997 and now uses cycling to help women around the world.
Cappellotto helped Fariba and Yulduz – alongside three of their team mates – get a seat on a flight leaving Kabul, organised by the Italian government.
Several evacuation operations were also carried out by the UCI and its partner, enabling 165 Afghan citizens to leave the country.
An investigation by the now-defunct Cycling Tips revealed accusations that Afghanistan Cycling Federation president Fazli Ahmad Fazli manipulated the lists used to evacuate athletes and citizens in favour of his friends and family.
The UCI Ethics Commission suspended Fazli from all cycling-related activities for 15 months in July 2024, after allegations of verbal and physical abuse.
The UCI Ethics Commission said at the time: “it was found that the President of the Afghanistan Cycling Federation had, on several occasions, sent messages to members of the Afghan cycling community which were deemed to be in breach of Articles 5, 6.4 and 2.1 of Annex 1 of the UCI Code of Ethics due to their abusive and/or threatening nature, and the fact that he therefore abused his position.”
