Afghans Empowered chats with Jamil Sherzad, founder and pioneer of Afghanistan’s first parkour team. We explore the history of Jamil’s discovery for his love of parkour, and from there, discuss the visions Jamil has for the growth of the sport. As Jamil explains, his journey has met many challenges: environmental, social, and financial challenges that he views as part of the obstacles in life that parkour prepares one for. For him, parkour is not only a sport; it’s an art, and a mirror of real life. He sets out to expand the accessibility of the sport to a diverse audience, and now has a team of over 50 parkour athletes. Training on the principles of discipline, inclusion, tolerance, and diversity, Jamil’s team learns skills that are applicable beyond the training course. With the recent national and international recognitions for the team, Jamil hopes to continue expanding awareness and acceptance of the sport, while seeking to open a permanent gym that will allow for athletes, students, adults, and children, to practice parkour. We’re committed to helping out Jamil through a connection of resources that will provide funding to support the team in the country. We look forward to working with Kabul Boys Parkour as they continue to grow!

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