Afghan boxers, their coach and the leader of the Afghanistan Boxing Federation stayed in Serbia after the World Championships in Belgrade, fearing revenge from the Taliban regime.

The boxing World Championship was held from October 24 to November 6 in Belgrade, and the Afghan boxers trained in secret and prepared for that tournament.

„When the Taliban regime took power in Afghanistan, everything changed. Under the new regime, the new government, it was difficult to come to the World Championships,“ the Secretary-General of the Boxing Federation of Afghanistan, Vahidulah Hamedi, said

The Afghan team contacted several foreign embassies about humanitarian visas and asylum. Some European Union countries rejected their request, but the group of 11 members did not give up.

Tens of thousands of Afghans, including athletes, fled in August after the United States withdrew and the Taliban took power.

Hamedi said that the Taliban disapproved of boxing, so the team members had little chance to continue their careers in Afghanistan.

The boxing team had to hide its plans to participate in the tournament in Belgrade. They first received visas to enter Iran, and then in Tehran, they applied for a permit for Serbia.

Since then, their visas have expired, and Hamedi said friends and family had warned them not to return to Afghanistan.

He added he hoped the entire expedition would get some visas soon, as no one wants to cross the border illegally.