Congratulations to Shilan Shamal Mustafa, who has become the first Iraqi Kurdish woman to carry the Olympic torch ahead of the Paris 2024 Games! Shilan, who was born in Diyala province, Iraq, carried the torch on Monday, just a few days before the Olympic competition begins. She is among the final group of torchbearers before the flame reaches the Olympic stadium.

The girl from Diyala, Shilan Shamal, will carry the torch towards Paris for the first time in Olympic history…
The young Iraqi, Shilan Shamal Mustafa, will be the first Iraqi Kurdish woman to carry the Paris 2024 Olympic torch. So, who is she?
Shilan Mustafa is an Iraqi Kurdish woman who will be the first Kurdish and also the first Iraqi to carry the Olympic torch from Athens to Paris, just before the Olympics start on the 26th of this month.
Who is Shilan Mustafa?
Thirty-three-year-old Shilan was born in Diyala province, eastern Iraq. She is the only daughter among three brothers. Her family moved to several Iraqi provinces, then to Libya, and when she was fourteen years old, they moved to France, where they have lived ever since.
In France, Shilan studied industrial design engineering, a field she loved very much, but her dream in sports was stronger, as she mentioned in an interview with the official agency.

The French schools offered her opportunities to try various sports, such as rugby, climbing, running, and handball, but she found her true passion in taekwondo.
After years of training in taekwondo, Shilan decided to establish the first private sports club in her town to train youngsters.

The young immigrant became responsible for the only sports club in the area, along with a French coach, and the club attracted more than forty young players whom Shilan trains daily to prepare them for competitions.
Later, Shilan Mustafa, after years of continuous training in taekwondo, founded the first private sports club in the town of Flory, aiming to train young people and prepare them for competitions.

The club became the only sports club in the region under her supervision, with more than 40 players, whom Shilan leads daily towards success.

The story of participating in the Olympic torch
As a result of her ongoing work and as a token of appreciation for her achievements for the children and youth of her city, Shilan received a request from the municipality of her region, Flory, to select her as a sports girl representing the town by carrying the Olympic torch, and she happily agreed, according to the official agency.
The Olympic torch support campaign contacted Shilan Mustafa to confirm her acceptance.

After confirming, they sent her a registration link to fill in some information and asked her to send them her story. The message read as follows:

“I am a girl who practiced sports in my childhood in Iraq.

I came to France and was busy learning the language, studying, and finding a job. My life was confined between my room at home and my livelihood.”
“I searched for something where I could achieve myself and feel my worth in this society. I discovered taekwondo and found my inner strength in it.

I live in this small town where most boys and girls need to learn how to defend themselves.

I started forming an association to train them. It’s a small start, but I feel it leads to big goals.”
A short while later, she received the awaited response, accompanied by outfit instructions and a card with her name:

“Come to the specified place at nine in the morning on the twenty-second of July.

You will carry the Olympic torch and jog with it.

” These words were enough to make Shilan the happiest, as she says, noting that she sees this recognition as an opportunity to raise the voice of immigrants who deserve support and opportunities.