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Bodybuilding and Afghanistan. Not exactly two words often associated with each other by most people. War and Afghanistan - now that's a closer match in the country’s recent history. However, times have changed in the beleaguered country with the ousting of former Taliban leadership and an adoption of a more democratic style of government. The increased freedom in recent years has led to a dramatic rise in opportunities for residents of the nation, which includes the sport of bodybuilding. Evidence of the bodybuilding phenomenon in the country has been apparent from the increasing number of bodybuilding gyms to the fact that even women are getting involved in the sport.
Post-war Afghanistan has embraced bodybuilding as its most popular past time, second only to soccer. Bodybuilding was a source of excitement for the people of Afghanistan prior to the wars and battles that ravaged their country, but they suffered a major loss in 1993 when a plan crashed in the northern area of the country, killing its entire national team of 13 competitors.
No longer does an Afghanistan upper body workout consist of running around in the mountains carrying a gun all day. The number of bodybuilding clubs in the country has ballooned in recent years. More than 50 clubs exist in the city of Kabul alone, which only boasts a population of 340,000. With the growing number of clubs, it seems that just about anyone can get a good workout. Even financially disadvantaged lifters are catered to and they are often given breaks on membership fees or protein supplements by club owners in the country. With the vast array of people now able to workout in Afghanistan, it is no wonder that the sport has seen such an immense popularity growth in the last few years.
Back in the USA, working out (at least among Americans) has almost become a pampered activity. A gym isn’t a gym without a spray tanning machine, an on-site masseuse, individual TVs on each piece of cardio equipment and all of the other luxuries we have come to expect when working out. However, in other parts of the world, bodybuilders don’t seem to have it so good. And yet, that doesn’t stop them from wanting to look and feel better about themselves. We lift shiny, weight-specific dumbbells; In Afghanistan, they lift left over car parts and cinder blocks.
The young men of Afghanistan have started focusing on getting in better shape and are using any means necessary to do so. Not only is the chance of survival a hell of a lot better than waging war, but these young men have the opportunity to have pride in something, maybe for the first time ever, their appearance.
Why all the interest in bodybuilding?
Well, pretty much for the same reasons guys here pick up their first dumbbell. The bodybuilding craze among the young men of Afghanistan is all about looking good for the ladies. And that's more important there now than ever as with freedom and democracy has come a transformation in their society from arranged marriages planned from birth to the possibility of actually being able to choose your life partner. As the new Afghanistan president seems in favor of what they call a "love marriage", the guys are in a hurry to pack on the bicep mass and achieve six-pack abs. They have a lot catching up to do, as they are most likely up against quite possibly the world's choosiest population of women, who never had the right to choose before.
The transformation of Afghan society through bodybuilding is pretty cool to watch when you take a look back at what bodybuilding was like under Taliban rule. Back then, bodybuilding was tolerated, but just barely. Competitors could only show their torsos and were required to maintain a long beard.
In the past, the mention of a woman bodybuilder in Afghanistan would have been the setup for an insensitive joke. But now, woman bodybuilding in the country is no joke as more and more females are taking advantage of their increased freedom to lift weights as they please. They have their own facilities, of course, separate from the men and some do not even remove their traditional garb to train. But women too are using their new found freedom as a chance to get fit. Though they don’t have quite the number of clubs that males have to choose from, the fact that there are any clubs in the nation is promising. Not too long ago, the idea of a woman doing sports under the Taliban regime was considered taboo. However, these days that sentiment is beginning to fade as the country even sent two female athletes to the Olympics in Athens. This has opened the floodgates for women to participate in sports such as bodybuilding. While still not entirely socially acceptable in Afghanistan, female bodybuilders still remain upbeat about their passion and have used bodybuilding to take a big step towards independence for women in the country. The fact that women are getting into lifting shows that both genders are becoming enthused about the prospects for the sport.
Partially thanks to all the national attention and enthusiasm surrounding the sport, the competition for Mr. Afghanistan was held in August 2005. Despite reports that this was the first Mr. Afghanistan competition, such is not the case. The event was actually held in 2004 as well, but the title remained vacant as there were some discrepancies in the ruling at the end. One of the competitors was thought to have used steroids, explained Fazal Ahmad, one of the gym owners, as well as the secretary general of the Afghan Bodybuilding Federation and one of the judges in the event.
In 2005, however, the winner of the title of Mr. Afghanistan is Khosraw Basheri, a 23 year old from the Herat province. He competed against 47 other bodybuilders in front of over 200 spectators. His eight years of weight training paid off in August when he flexed and grinned his way to the top prize in an already historical occasion. While only about 200 spectators saw him compete, his monumental title has provided an even bigger spark to an already growing sport. Despite the buzz that his win has created throughout the world, no one truly believes he has a shot at making a run at the Mr. Universe yet. However, a former Mr. Universe has also helped aid in the bodybuilding growth spurt. Arnold Shwarzenegger has become somewhat of an Afghanistan icon lately. Many new bodybuilders in the country have been inspired by his story and have used his accomplishments as motivation for themselves. Some have even become fans of the California governor’s illustrious film career as well.
Of course, the major element that appears to be missing in this iron-pumping nation is the supplements to working out that assist in developing that desired physique. In the USA, we have protein shakes and bars and fat-burners and amino acid channel inducers and everything else under the sun to give you that extra edge. One gym owner who was interviewed recently stated that most of the men who come to his gym do not even get enough food much less supplements. They can also barely afford to pay the minimal membership fee, and some who cannot are allowed to work out for free.
So what about the future of bodybuilding in Afghanistan? Many people in the country say that bodybuilding is the second most popular sport behind soccer. With its rapid expansion, could it one day become the most popular? Possibly, but only time will tell. It seems that most residents of the nation are more concerned with restoring peace to Afghanistan. Even with NATO troops in place, terrorists’ threats are still a constant danger throughout the nation. Warlords still control certain towns and the country as a whole has been beaten down over the years by Soviet invasions, civil wars, and the strict Taliban rule. Even Khosraw Basher, when asked about his future hopes, was quoted as saying "I want my country to be peaceful and quiet and independent. There has been war here for 25 years, so I hope we will have peace." Let’s hope that bodybuilding and newfound freedom in Afghanistan can work in cohesion to make a better nation for all its residents.
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