In 2025, an inspiring chapter in the history of sport is being written far from Kabul.
For the second year, the National Cycling Championships of Afghanistan were held outside the country, bringing together refugee athletes who continue to keep their nation’s passion for cycling alive despite living in exile. The previous edition took place on October 23, 2022, in Aigle, Switzerland, organized by the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), in collaboration with the Afghan Cycling Federation, the organizing committee of the Tour du Pays de Vaud, and the Municipality of Aigle. In 2025, thanks to the support of the French Cycling Federation and with the backing of the UCI, the competition found a new home in France, on June 26 and 28.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the practice of sport—especially for women—has been severely restricted in Afghanistan.
Like Masomah Ali Zada, Champion for Peace and Chef de Mission of the Olympic Refugee Team for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, many cyclists—once symbols of empowerment and engagement—have been forced to flee, distancing themselves from their sport.
This initiative is part of the UCI’s support program for Afghan women cyclists launched in 2021, which has enabled many athletes to be relocated, protected, and supported in continuing their careers. Through cycling, these women continue to assert their freedom, dignity, and right to equality.
In 2022, this remarkable commitment was recognized by Peace and Sport, which awarded the UCI the Jury’s Special Prize at the Peace and Sport Awards for its action in favor of peace through sport.
Beyond a race and a competition involving four athletes, these championships stand as a peaceful manifesto of sport’s power to positively transform societies.
On the roads of France, these four athletes have offered hope to all those who still dream of cycling in Afghanistan.
