Friba Rezayee teaches judo to women and children in Vancouver. She’s also a relentless advocate for gender equity in Afghanistan, where she was born and raised.

I’ve always believed, even as a child, that if you are born, you have the right to exist, to learn, to play sports,” she says. “I believe that human rights and women’s rights are innate, and we should have the right to practice and enjoy them.”

In 2004, when Afghanistan was welcomed to the Summer Olympic Games in Athens after being blacklisted during the Taliban regime, Rezayee made history at 18 as one of the first two female Olympic athletes from her home country.

“My participation brought Afghanistan back into the world sports arena,” she says. “It was as if a door had been opened for the next generation of women and girls to play sports and participate.”

In 2011, Rezayee immigrated to Canada as a refugee, and a few years later she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of British Columbia. Her eyes and heart remained focused on Afghanistan.

In 2021 she incorporated her nonprofit, Women Leaders of Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to securing educational and sports opportunities for Afghan women and girls. “We advocate and work tirelessly,” she says of WLOT’s board, staff and volunteers.

Since its inception, the organization has secured 20 scholarships for Afghan women and girls to come to Canada to study and has helped Afghan athletes further their education at home and abroad.

Women Leaders of Tomorrow: Friba Rezayee