Sport
Afghans to take part in World Team Chess Tournament in India
Afghanistan will have a seven-member chess team in India this week for the 44th World Team Chess Tournament.
According to the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports of Afghanistan (GDoPESA), the tournament will start on Wednesday and run through until August 10.
This event takes place every two years and 188 countries are sending teams for the men’s division.
“Fortunately, Afghanistan will also compete among these countries,” a GDoPESA statement read.
The participants of this event from Afghanistan are as follows:
1. Obaidullah Qureshi, team leader
2. Khyber Farazi, the team captain
3. Seyed Wahabuddin Mirzad, player
4. Habibullah Amini, player
5. Mohammad Sepehr Sakhawatti, player
6. Mohammad Yousef Muradi, player
7. Suleiman Ahmad Ashrafi, player
This global event will be held over eleven rounds on the Swiss system.
Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded in five team categories while individual medals will also be awarded to the best players.
The national buzkashi team of Afghanistan delivered an impressive performance to claim third place at the 2026 World Kokpar Championship in Kazakhstan.
Afghanistan dominated the group stage with commanding victories—thrashing Hungary 14–0, defeating Russia 5–0, and overcoming Mongolia 7–0—to top Group B and advance to the semi-finals.
Despite a strong effort, Afghanistan fell 4–2 to Uzbekistan in the semi-finals. However, the team responded emphatically in the third-place playoff, beating Russia 6–0 to secure the bronze medal.
Alongside their podium finish, Afghanistan was awarded 4,500,000 Kazakh tenge (around 9,400 US dollars) by the International Kokpar Federation, capping off a successful campaign on the global stage.
Ireland cricket officials have announced that they will host Afghanistan for a five-match ODI series from August 5–14.
Other international teams including Australia and England have either cancelled or avoided scheduling bilateral series against Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate regained power in 2021.
“Cricket Ireland has made a decision to play Afghanistan in Belfast this year,” CI chief executive Sarah Keane said on Friday. “I’m not going to fob you off by saying that there’s financial reasons and there’s legal reasons. There aren’t. This has been a decision by Cricket Ireland in what it believes is the best interest of the organisation as a whole, and the decision was made by the board this week.”
Afghanistan’s national buzkashi team was eliminated from the Kokpar World Championship after losing 4–2 to Uzbekistan in the semifinals on Friday.
The defeat prevented the Afghan team from reaching the final, ending their hopes for the tournament title.
Earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan had secured victories over Hungary, Mongolia, and Russia, showcasing strong performances in the opening rounds.
The international Kokpar competition was hosted in the city of Turkistan, Kazakhstan, bringing together top teams from around the world.
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