Hijab Ban on French Athletes in the Olympics

French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla was prohibited from participating in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics while wearing a hijab, as it was deemed a violation of secularism rules by the French Olympic Committee. Disheartened by the decision, Sylla expressed her disappointment on Instagram, which quickly drew widespread attention and support from fellow athletes. This ultimately led to a compromise, allowing her to wear a cap to cover her hair.

The Olympic Charter clearly states: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

However, France argued that secularism, a core aspect of French identity, could be compromised by allowing Muslim women to wear headscarves on the field of play. Athletes representing France are treated as public servants and are therefore subject to strict secularism rules. Foreign athletes, however, are not bound by these regulations.

While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not oppose the wearing of religious head coverings, it defers to the regulations of the relevant international federations during competitions. Amnesty International released a report criticizing France’s decision and, along with other organizations, sent a letter to the IOC urging them to overturn the ban and highlighting the harm it inflicted on Muslim athletes. The IOC reportedly responded by stating that France’s ban on sports hijabs was “outside the remit of the Olympic movement” and did not acknowledge any rights violations resulting from the ban.