Azerbaijani women rewriting their athletic history

A local girls basketball team attended this event for physical education teachers in Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan. These girls are playing a sport normally reserved for boys in the country. Mehdi Huseinguliyev

Azerbaijan is a country with a growing Olympic movement but a traditional culture that does not yet see sports as a valuable enterprise for girls. There are some who would like to see that change as the nation builds facilities capable of hosting world-class events in Baku, and regional Olympic centers in smaller towns to bring those sports to the population.

Some clearly are not ready for change, but I listened to many women discuss bringing opportunities to young girls in a way that respects culture.