"Where Is the Afghan Female Runner?"

Mehbooba Andyar's choice to compete in a head scarf and full-length, body-covering running suit could not spare her from Taliban taunts and threats. The Afghan middle-distance runner nonetheless trekked on and was on the verge of realizing her Olympic dream. But now Andyar — slated to be the only female Afghan athlete at the Beijing Games — has gone missing from her training site just weeks before the opening ceremonies.

Andyar has not contacted any Afghan or international track-and-field authorities since disappearing Friday from a training facility in Formia, Italy, 106 miles (170 km) south of Rome, where she and other international athletes were based in June. Italian police are investigating the disappearance, though there are no signs of foul play. Her bags and passport were also gone from her room, a sign that she may have left on her own.

No scenario is being ruled out, and Andyar did not have any special security detail. One possible explanation is that the 19-year-old may be seeking asylum somewhere in Europe, following repeated threats and humiliation from Muslim extremists, including false rumors that she was a prostitute. Nick Davies, spokesman for the IAAF, the world track-and-field governing body, said there had been no signs that Andyar was having second thoughts about competing in Beijing. "It was quite a surprise to us," Davies told TIME. "We don't know where she is. All we know is that she and her bags are gone."


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821203,00.html

:banghead:

But I tend to not pay attention to Olympic news. This is scary. Yet at the same time, given the crap she's faced--who could blame her if she decided to flee and seek a better life. Poor woman. :hug:

I hope she is alive and safe, and perhaps did seek asylum elsewhere.

:(

I hadn't heard about this either.