By nominating woman Afghan basketball player, IOC sends a signal to countries where women face obstacles to pursue sports
The International Olympic Committee today named a young Afghan woman, Samira Asghari, among nine candidates for membership of the body in a  move to boost women's rights.
IOC president , Thomas Bach told a press conference in Lausanne that the nomination of the 24-year-old Asghari, who played basketball for her country and has taken on a series of administrative roles, send a signal not only to men and women in Afghanistan but also in all these countries where women are facing serious obstacles to do sport.
He said five of the nine candidates due to be voted in October are "Individual Members" proposed by a special committee, three of those are women. The other four represent either National Olympic Committees (NOCs) or international sports federations (IFs) which are entitled to representation. All four are men.