KABUL—On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr. Afghanistan—albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee.
Gone are the tight briefs they once wore to show off their bulging quadriceps and adductors, typically worth 50 percent of the marks in a competition.
Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts.
Afghan bodybuilders compete in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
“In bodybuilding, we have problems. Now, we are forced to go forward in the way Sharia says,” Hamidullah Sherzai, a three-time Mr. Afghanistan and coach for the national bodybuilding team, tells Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Gesturing from his belly to his knees, he adds: “This part of a man … should not be shown.”
Backstage viewing
It is said that jury members view the candidates in their underwear backstage, before they strut their stuff in front of the public.
Mohammad Ayoub Azemi (C) receives a trophy after winning the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
More than 200 men from 21 provinces competed in the annual fitness and bodybuilding competition on Wednesday, parading in front of the jury, Taliban members and a curious crowd in the venue’s gymnasium.
Mohammad Ayoub Azemi, 33 years old and 103 kilograms (227 pounds), took home the title—almost a year after surviving a string of powerful earthquakes in his home province of Herat.
Afghan bodybuilders take part in the Mr Afghanistan competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
“I used to sleep inside a car during the tough conditions after the earthquakes. But now I have been able to win Mr. Muscle,” he tells AFP, brimming with emotion.
His victory does not bring him any money, just a cup, a medal and prestige.
Afghan bodybuilders prepare backstage before a fitness event held by the Afghanistan Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (AFBBF) in Kabul on July 9, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
Screams and whistles
Behind the scenes, an armada of assistants copiously lacquer participants’ bodies with creams and sprays to give them a shiny, tanned tone.
Once on stage, the bodybuilders perform the classic poses of the discipline, straining their muscles.
Then, with hands on the back of the neck or a knee on the ground, they continue their peacocking for the several hundred spectators—exclusively male—who scream and whistle to encourage their favorites.
“This beloved country wants to be rebuilt,” the sound system thunders, spitting out a deafening, Taliban-approved song permitted under a standing ban on music.
Afghan bodybuilders compete in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
Gyms equipped with weight-training rooms sprouted throughout the country during the 20 years of foreign-backed governments after the United States and Nato drove the Taliban from power in 2001.
During that first reign, which began in 1996, the Taliban authorities tolerated bodybuilding, but on the condition the men wear trousers.
Afghanistan has won numerous prizes in international bodybuilding competitions, and three years on from the Taliban government’s return to power amid a chaotic US withdrawal, performances continue to unleash passion.
People use their scarfs to cool off an Afghan bodybuilder as he warms up backstage before competing in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
Gyms and joy
Bodybuilding is one of the few hobbies still available to men who, unlike women, are permitted to visit gyms.
The cost, however, is a significant barrier. Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises after decades of war.
Coming second in the “fitness” category, 24-year-old Noor Rehman Rehmani regrets “the decline” in financial support from the authorities.
Afghan veteran bodybuilders compete in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
But he is pleased at least that the competitions continue.
Najibullah Ahadi, a 30-year-old bodybuilder in the audience, laments that those who compete abroad “pay most of the expenses from their own pockets,” whereas previously the government would help.
An Afghan bodybuilder gets a head massage from his daughter backstage before competing in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. On a stage inside Kabul Stadium, dozens of bodybuilders take turns flexing and posing in a bid to clinch the title of Mr Afghanistan — albeit with their legs modestly covered to just below the knee. Rigorously applying Islamic law, the Taliban have prohibited competitors from displaying their thighs, and imposed the wearing of long shorts. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP)
“Afghanistan is currently in such a situation that happiness is not found easily. So this is an opportunity, we enjoy it.”
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