In a major milestone for Afghan sports, international taekwondo referee Shafiq Rostami has been named among the top three referees globally following a joint performance assessment by World Taekwondo and the Fujairah Open organizing committee.
Kabul 24: The evaluation was conducted based on referees’ precision, consistency, and active participation across major international championships and world-class tournaments over the past year.
According to official evaluation reports, Rostami achieved a flawless score of 100 points alongside representatives from Tanzania and South Korea. Following the application of detailed technical tie-breaking criteria, the Tanzanian referee secured first place, Shafiq Rostami of Afghanistan took second, and South Korea’s representative placed third.
This recognition highlights the exceptional technical proficiency of Afghan sports officials on the international stage. As part of this assessment, the top 30 referees in the global rankings have received direct invitations to officiate at next year’s Fujairah Open.
Editorial Analysis:
Shafiq Rostami’s placement among the world’s top taekwondo referees represents a significant achievement for Afghanistan’s sports diplomacy. Despite the structural challenges facing domestic sports infrastructure, Rostami’s success demonstrates that Afghan technical expertise can compete with established sporting powerhouses like South Korea.
This milestone helps elevate the country’s representation within international sports federations and paves the way for greater involvement of Afghan officials in future continental and Olympic events.
