Afghanistan’s Taliban government bans ‘violent’ mixed martial arts

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has banned mixed martial arts (MMA), believing it to be un-Islamic, its sports authority said in a statement on Wednesday.

The order was passed down by Afghanistan’s morality police in the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice after an investigation into the sport’s compliance with Islamic law, or sharia, the statement and local media said.

“It was found that the sport is problematic with respect to sharia and it has many aspects which are contradictory to the teachings of Islam,” the Taliban government sports authority said in a statement sent to AFP.

“That’s why this decision has been made to ban mixed martial arts in Afghanistan.”

A sports authority official told local media MMA was banned in part because it was considered too violent and posed the risk of injury or death.

The Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021, implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

They recently ratified a morality law formalising many rules on behaviour and dress, including that men must not wear shorts above the knee.

Martial arts are popular sports in Afghanistan.

Four of the 11 Afghans who competed at the Paris Games, on either the national or the refugee Olympic teams, were martial arts athletes.

MMA has not been recognised as an Olympic sport, in part due to safety concerns.