All Italian volleyball leagues will observe a minute's silence before this weekend's games in memory of Mahjabin Hakimi, the young Afghan player beheaded by the Taliban earlier this month.
The tribute was decided by volleyball federation chief Giuseppe Manfredi after conferring with Italian Olympic Committee head Giovanni Malagò, and the undersecretary for sport, Valentina Vezzali.
According to several reports, Afghan national youth player Hakimi was beheaded by the Islamist group at the start of October and photos of her head posted on social media - reportedly the second female sports player to be killed by the Taliban.
European champ and Italy women's volleyball team captain Miriam Fatime Sylla, a Ghanaian-Italian of Ivorian descent, said "the whole world should feel guilty and in mourning about Mahjabin Hakimi's death." She said "she could have been my sister, and it could have been me (who died)".
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