Friba Rezayee was born and raised in Afghanistan. She made history by competing at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as the first Afghan female athlete ever in the history of the International Olympic Committee and Afghanistan. Known as the pioneer of Afghan women’s sports, Rezayee founded the nonprofit Women Leaders of Tomorrow to empower Afghan women and girls through education and sports. Since the collapse of the Afghan Republican government in August 2021 and the return of the Taliban, Rezayee has secured 25 full-ride scholarships for women and girls to study in Canada.