by S. Ghilzai / Published on November 13, 2014
Updated by: CQ 4/7/2018
Sadaf Rahimi is an Afghan female boxer.
Rahimi started boxing at the age of 14, after seeing a Laila Ali match. She got global attention when she received a wildcard to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, at the age of 17. However, the International Boxing Association felt that her safety was in danger as she would have to compete with opponents from countries with much higher standards of training, and was not allowed to compete. Her coach is Saber Sharifi, who was once a professional male boxer.
Rahimi and 30 other young women train with Sharifi in the Ghazi Stadium in Kabul at least three times a week. The National Film Board of Canada made a documentary about Rahimi and a few other female boxers entitled “The Boxing Girls of Kabul”, which was received to good reviews, nominations and awards. Rahimi hopes to actually compete in the Olympics at Rio in 2016, and is currently training to do so.
Rahimi’s and other Afghan female boxers’ story was told in a documentary which was directed by Ariel Nasr and Produced by Annette Clarke. The documentary entitled The Boxing Girls of Kabul was made for the National Film Board of Canada and received several awards and nominations.