SHAHEEN Nigara

General
FEMALE ROLE MODEL
She has spoken about the challenges of practising judo in Afghanistan as a woman and her desire to be a female role model for Afghans. "I think it is more related to the ideology of women in our country. In judo, women have a close encounter with a male partner, at least the male instructor, and this is not traditionally and culturally accepted. Being the only female judoka in Afghanistan, I have to practise with the men. Unfortunately, there are so many social taboos connected with women playing sports in my country. I would be proud if in the long run I could be considered a role model for other girls or women in Afghanistan. I have never considered settling abroad and I will never have the desire. Even if I withdraw from judo, I will train other girls. I personally believe that Afghanistan needs us and I am proud to be involved in the future of my country." (nigarashaheen.wordpress.com, 30 Oct 2012; judoheart.com, 24 Oct 2017; ijf.org, 17 Mar 2019)

PREVIOUS OCCUPATIONS
She has worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist for the Ministry of Finance in Afghanistan, and as a public relations specialist. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a master's degree in international business, trade and commerce at Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation. She believes practising judo has helped her academically. "Judo helped me to strengthen my self-confidence not only in exams but also in my daily life, whether in debates, competitions or more." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2021; judoinside.com, 01 Jun 2021)