Thrown with the goat leash, yes! Shah, no! The incredible reason why the Taliban forbade the “Sport of Mind”
Cezar Tistor article – published Monday, May 12, 2025, 12:56 / Updated Monday, May 12, 2025 12:56
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned chess to new orders, invoking fears that it could encourage gambling.
Authorities have announced that the game is suspended indefinitely, until it is established if it is compatible with Islamic Law, Sharia.
According to the Taliban regime, chess could encourage gambling, prohibited by law in Afghanistan
Chess is the most recent sport restricted by the Taliban regime. Contact sports have been regulated. The participation of women in sports activities is practically completely forbidden, notes the BBC.
Since taking power in August 2021, Taliban gradually imposed a series of laws and regulations that reflect a strict and conservative vision on Islam.
On Sunday, Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Sports Directorate of the Taliban government, said that the chess is “considered a form of gambling” according to Islamic Law, later motivating: “There are religious considerations regarding chess play. Until these aspects are clarified, chess remains forbidden in Afghanistan”.
After returning to power in 2021, the Taliban restricted or forbade several sports activities, especially those involving women or public exposure considered “inappropriate”.
Women are not allowed to participate in international sports events or to appear in public by practicing sports activities. Contact sports are carefully monitored, the MMA has been banned in the region. Modern “Western” sports for men, bodybuilding, sports dance, gymnastics, are partially tolerated.
Due to these obvious rights of rights, many athletes have fled the country, being helped by the governments of other international countries or NGOs.
However, the Taliban government does not look at all sports in a negative way. In January, a delegation led by Mawlaw Amir Khan Muttaqi, the interim foreign minister, wore negotiations in Dubai with an Indian delegation of sports cooperation, popular sport in both states. The information was then provided by the New Delhi authorities. In February, Washington Post reported on the local sport of Afghanistal, “Buzkashi” – equestrian sport, in which horse players try to carry a goat or calf corpse.
