Mahjabin Hakimi, a member of the Afghanistan women’s youth volleyball team, has reportedly been beheaded by the Taliban in the country’s capital of Kabul because of its objection to women’s sport.

In an interview with the Persian Independent, one of Hakimi’s coaches – speaking under a pseudonym – said that she was killed in early October but that it had been kept a secret as her family had been threatened not to talk about it.

Dozens of female athletes have fled Afghanistan in fear of their lives since the Taliban swept back into power in August as the preexisting Afghan Government collapsed with United States military support.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) told insidethegames it was “urgently seeking clarification” of the situation and aware of reports of Hakimi’s killing.

Only two of the women’s youth volleyball team’s players managed to escape Afghanistan, it has been reported.

“All the players of the volleyball team and the rest of the women athletes are in a bad situation and in despair and fear,” the coach said, per the Persian Independent.

“Everyone has been forced to flee and live in unknown places.”

Hakimi played for Kabul Municipality Volleyball Club before the Taliban seized power.

“FIVB is aware of the reports coming from Afghanistan,” volleyball’s governing body told insidethegames.

“We are urgently seeking clarification and an accurate assessment of the current situation. 

“As the safety and well-being of the whole volleyball community is our paramount concern, there will no further media comment at this stage.”

Afghanistan’s Chef de Mission at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Arian Sadiqi, fears for the lives of 12 Para athletes who are still stuck in the country and is worried that those who did not escape when the Taliban seized power have been forgotten about.

“If these girls don’t get help soon, they may fall into the hands of the Taliban and may get killed,” Sadiqi said to insidethegames.

Athletes Noorja Najafi, Rahela Haidari, Nargis Masomi and Benafsha Najafi have all called on European countries to help evacuate them from Afghanistan.

“The right to education has been taken away from us,” said Najafi in a video series shared with insidethegames by Sadiqi, where athletes discuss how heir lives have changed since the Taliban re-took control of Afghanistan.

“We cannot go to university safely or study safely because we are disabled,” Najafi continues in the video, which can be viewed here.

“Without wearing a hijab, we cannot walk or go out.

“We are very worried that our lives are in danger.”

The women’s national volleyball team has petitioned for foreign organisations to help get them out of the country, but have so far been unsuccessful.

“Our players who were living in the provinces had to leave and live in other places,” said Zahra Fayazi, a coach for Afghanistan, told the BBC in September.

“They even burned their sports equipment to save themselves and their families.

“They didn’t want them to keep anything related to sport.

“They are scared.

“Many of our players who are from provinces were threatened many times by their relatives who are Taliban and Taliban followers.

“The Taliban asked our players’ families to not allow their girls to do sport, otherwise they will be faced with unexpected violence.”

Football’s governing body, FIFA, supported Qatar and Albania with the evacuation of 57 people – mainly women and children – involved in football and basketball, it claimed today.

The 57 people were flown to Doha yesterday, FIFA said, while last week it also claimed responsibility for helping to evacuate nearly 100 Afghan football stakeholders, including female players, again to Qatar.

Seven female taekwondo athletes from Afghanistan were taken to Australia and given refugee status in September, while Afghanistan’s two Tokyo 2020 Paralympians – Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli – were also able to flee the country and ultimately compete in the Japanese capital.

The Taliban – removed from power in 2001 – is an Islamist group which believes in Sharia law and vigorously restricts the freedoms of women.

Closures of girls’ schools, movement restrictions for women and women being forced to leave their jobs have all been reported since the group assumed control of Afghanistan.

-insidethegames

Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp have emerged champions of the 2019 National Volleyball Premier League held at the indoor Sports hall of Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

Fifteen men and women volleyball clubs participated in the first and final phases of the premier league.

After a weeklong of games in the male category final, the defending champion, the Nigeria Customs Service retained the title winning five matches and losing the final to its arch rivals Nigeria Security and Civil Defence 2-3 to garner a total of 30 points to emerge overall winners.

Civil Defence, with 24 points,  occupied second position while a new discovery of the championship, Kano Pillars rose through the rungs to finish third with a total of 23 points.

In the female category, The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps emerged tops having won all their matches including the final match with the Nigeria Customs with a total of 32 points.

The defending champions,  Nigeria Customs Service was dethroned by the Civil Defence finishing second position with a total of 28 points while the Chief of Army Staff Spikers occupied third position.

Individual awards were also presented to some outstanding players.

In the male’s category:

(1) Best Spiker-Ogunshina Obayemi- Nigeria Police Force

(2) Best Blocker-Isaac Geoffrey- Nigeria Customs Service

(3) Best Server-Sunday Akinbo- Nigeria Security and civil defence corp

(4) Best Defender-Samson Akinbona- Nigeria customs service

(5)  Best Receiver-Seun Adegbite- Nigeria Police force

(6) Best setter- Emmanuel Samuel- Nigeria Security and civil defence corp

(7) MVP- Dikiya Seiyefa- Nigeria customs service

Female category:

(1) Best Spiker-Albertina Francis- Nigeria Security and civil defence corp

(2) Best Blocker-Prisca Nkemnekwu- Chief Of Army Staff Spikers

(3) Best Server-Francisca Ikhiede- Nigeria customs service

(4) Best Defender- Jummai Bitrus- Nigeria Security and civil defence corp

(5)  Best Receiver- Chinedu Nnachi- Chief of Army Staff Spikers

(6) Best setter- Sharon Achi- Nigeria Security and civil defence corp

(7) MVP- Ijeoma Ukpabi- Chief Of Army staff Spikers

All is now set for the 2019 national volleyball premier league.  Scheduled to hold at the indoor sports hall of Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, the league will serve off on Thursday and run through to December 1.

According to a release signed by Kehinde Lamidi, the Chairman Media, National League Management Committee, 15 men and women volleyball clubs that participated in the first phase in Asaba, will be slugging it out in a round robin format to determine the 2019 winners.

The men’s clubs are: Nigeria Custom Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Kano Pillars, Plateau, Famous Spikers and UCEM.  

The women clubs are Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp, Nigeria Custom Service, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, Kada Emeralds, Delta Queens and Benue Queens.

At the end of the first phase in Asaba, in the men’s category, Nigeria Customs Service with 19 points emerged tops. They were followed by Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which had 18 points.

Police Super Force came third while Nigeria immigration services finished fourth.

In the women category, Civil Defence topped the league with 17points. They were followed by Nigeria Customs Service, which had 16 points.

Nigerian Army Spikers with 11 points, finished third. The technical chairman of the federation, Martin Melandi told sport journalists in Lagos that all machineries have been put in place to ensure a better and bigger outing of the 2019 National volleyball premiere League finals in Abuja.

The president of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Musa Nimrod while speaking with the sports journalists in Abuja promised a classical and CAVB standard tournament disclosing that for the very first time, all the matches played will be streamed live via all the social platforms of the federation.

“This action will further promote the game, allow those fans and stakeholders all over the world to enjoy the matches at the comfort of their homes and to make would be sponsors to have access to the products they are willing to sponsor.”

Clubs are expected to arrive Abuja on Thursday while technical meeting will hold the following day ahead of the tournament commencement on Saturday.