The Afghan cyclists who fled to pursue their Olympic dreams

It has been one year since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

One of the first things they did was ban women from playing any sport, putting female athletes in danger.

But with the help of a former World Champion cyclist, five young women from the national cycling team managed to escape to a town in northern Italy.

Some of them are now hoping to become the first cyclists to ever represent Afghanistan at the Olympics. The BBC visited them to find out how they’re settling in to their new lives.

Video produced by Ivana Scatola and Firuz Rahimi

Filmed and edited by Derrick Evans

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