Afghan Student Sakina Baigzad
Sakina Baigzad, an Afghan student based in Bangladesh, won a silver and a bronze medal at the 9th Heroes Taekwondo International Championship in Thailand. She competed as Afghanistan’s only representative at the event, held in Pattaya from July 31 to August 2, 2026. Her wins mark another milestone for Afghan women athletes competing abroad, at a time when the Taliban bar women and girls from sports inside Afghanistan.
About the Competition
Pattaya City hosted the 9th Heroes Taekwondo International Championship at the Eastern National Sports Center from July 31 to August 2, 2026. More than 4,000 athletes, coaches, and officials from around 30 countries took part. The event drew competitors from across Asia, Europe, and beyond.
Sakina Baigzad’s Path to the Podium
Baigzad studies computer science in Bangladesh and trains at a local taekwondo club there. She prepared for the championship with her Bangladeshi coach and represented Afghanistan on her own, without a national team behind her.
She won a bronze medal in Poomsae, taekwondo’s pattern-based discipline that judges form and technique rather than sparring, and a silver medal in the Speed Punch event, which tests the speed and power of a competitor’s strikes.
Ahead of the competition, Baigzad turned to crowdfunding to cover her travel and competition costs. In her own words on her fundraiser page, she said this opportunity means more than just sports to her, and she wants to inspire other Afghan girls to follow their dreams.
Afghan Women’s Sport Under Taliban Restrictions
Baigzad’s medals come as the Taliban continue to bar women and girls from sport inside Afghanistan. Since retaking power, the Taliban have disbanded national women’s sports teams and blocked women from gyms, clubs, and public sports facilities. Despite these restrictions, a growing number of Afghan women athletes living in exile have competed and won medals internationally over the past five years, keeping Afghanistan’s presence alive in global sport.
