# Afghanistan at the 2022 Asian Games

Afghanistan competed at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, which was held from 23 September 2023 to 8 October 2023.
These games marked Afghanistan's best ever performance at the Asian Games with the country winning 5 medals in total.

## Background

This was the first time Afghanistan competed in the Asian Games since the Taliban takeover of the country following the fall of Kabul in 2021.
The Afghanistan delegation consisted of two groups, an all-male contingent backed by the Taliban and another supported by Hafizullah Wali Rahimi, who was president of the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee prior to the Taliban takeover. The latter group were from the Afghan diaspora and included women. Their chef de mission was Khwaja Hashmatullah Rasa. The Taliban rejected Afghanistan's entire participation with women athletes in the games at all.
Afghanistan still competed under the old Islamic Republic tricolor flag, instead of the white banner preferred by the Taliban. The contingent at the opening ceremony included women, with Mohsen Rezaee and Kamia Yousufi as flagbearers.

## Medal summary
### Medalists

The following Afghanistan competitors won medals at the Games.
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
| Silver | Afghanistan national cricket team | Cricket | Men's tournament | 7 Oct |
| Bronze | Mohsen Rezaee | Taekwondo | Men's 58 kg | 25 Sep |
| Bronze | Khalid Hotak | Wushu | Men's sanda 70 kg | 27 Sep |
| Bronze | Nasratullah Habibi | Wushu | Men's sanda 75 kg | 27 Sep |
| Bronze | Baiqara Rasooli | Kurash | Men's 81 kg | 1 Oct |

### Medals by sports

| Sport | | | | Total |
| Cricket | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kurash | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Taekwondo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Wushu | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Medals by day :
| Day | Date | | | | Total |
| 1 | September 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | September 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | September 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | September 27 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | September 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | September 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | September 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | October 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | October 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | October 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | October 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | October 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | October 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | October 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | October 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Competitors

| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
| Athletics | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Boxing | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Canoeing | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cricket | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Cycling | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Judo | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ju-jitsu | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Karate | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kurash | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Rugby sevens | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Swimming | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Taekwondo | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Volleyball | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Weightlifting | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wrestling | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wushu | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 68 | 15 | 83 |

## Cricket
### Men's tournament
#### Squad

* Gulbadin Naib (c)
* Mohammad Shahzad (vc, wk)
* Fareed Ahmad
* Qais Ahmad
* Zubaid Akbari
* Sharafuddin Ashraf
* Sediqullah Atal
* Karim Janat
* Zahir Khan
* Nijat Masood
* Shahidullah
* Sayed Shirzad
* Wafiullah Tarakhil
* Noor Ali Zadran
* Afsar Zazai (wk)

## Football

The national under-23 football team withdrew from the men's tournament before matches started.

### Summary

Key:
* A.E.T – After extra time.
* P – Match decided by penalty-shootout.
| Team | Event | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Group Stage | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final / BM | Final / BM |
| Team | Event | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank |
| Afghanistan men's under-23 | Men's tournament | Uzbekistan WD | Syria WD | Hong Kong WD | — | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |

## Volleyball
### Summary

| Team | Event | Group stage | Group stage | Group stage | Group stage | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final / BM | Final / BM |
| Team | Event | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score |
| Afghanistan men's | Men's tournament | Japan L 0–3 | Philippines L 0–3 | Indonesia L 0–3 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Afghanistan women's | Women's tournament | Kazakhstan L 0–3 | Japan L 0–3 | Hong Kong L 0–3 | 4 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |

### Men's tournament
#### Squad

* Mohammad Sabawoon Wardak
* Abdul Mutalib Mohammadi
* Mohammad Imran Niazai
* Mohammad Shahid Badloon
* Sabawoon Ghorzang
* Besmaullah Sultani
* Sayed Habib Yousufi
* Abdul Malik Mamoozai
* Ozair Mohammad Asefi
* Gulam Rasool Haidari
* Allah Nazar Karimy
* Naser Kohistani

## Wushu
### Sanda

| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Athlete | Event | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Opposition Score | Rank |
| Mohammad Karim Faqiri | Men's –56 kg | Guitara (INA) L 1–2 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Majid Rasoli | Men's –65 kg | Jeon (KOR) L 0–2 | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance | Did not advance |
| Khalid Hotak | Men's –70 kg | Izmurzayev (KAZ) W 2–0 | Yadav (IND) W KO | He (CHN) L 0–2 | Did not advance | |
| Nasratullah Habibi | Men's –75 kg | Bye | Saophanao (THA) W 2–0 | Sabriabibegloo (IRI) L PD | Did not advance | |