It's just over a week until the iconic event kicks off.
France has been accused of ‘racist gender discrimination’ over the decision to bar its athletes from wearing the hijab at the Paris Olympics.
It is the latest controversy surrounding the games, which have already come under fire for the River Seine’s water quality and calls to veto the participation of Russia and Israel.
While the International Olympic Committee has said athletes would be permitted to wear the scarf without restrictions, France has imposed its own ban that applies solely to its own athletes taking part in Olympic and Paralympic games.
It is now less than 10 days until the Olympics kicks off on July 26. But despite calls for the discriminatory policy to be overturned, there is no sign France will budge.
Basketball player Hélène Bâ, co-founder of Basket pour Toutes (Basketball for All), said this will be a ‘shameful moment’ for the country.
She said: ‘It is a clear violation of the Olympic charter, values and provisions, and an infringement on our fundamental rights and freedoms…’
A 32-page report from Amnesty International published on Tuesday reveals the devastating impact of the restriction on Muslim women and girls at all levels of French sport.
Anna Blus, Amnesty’s women’s rights researcher in Europe, said: ‘Banning French athletes from competing with sports hijabs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first “Gender Equal Olympics”.
France does not ban hijabs in public spaces. But its policies on the headscarf can be confusing.
A law passed in 2010 prohibits the wearing of any face-covering headgear.
This included masks, balaclavas, niqābs and other veils covering the face. But because the hijab does not cover a person’s face, it is allowed.
In 2023, France also decided to ban public school students from wearing the abaya – a long dress or robe popular among women in certain Muslim cultures
‘It lays bare the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in the country.’
She added: ‘Discriminatory rules policing what women wear are a violation of Muslim women’s and girls’ human rights and have a devastating impact on their participation in sport, blocking efforts to make sports more inclusive and more accessible.’
French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera barred French athletes from wearing the hijab, saying they are bound by the country’s strict separation of religion and state.
‘What does that mean? That means a ban on any type of proselytising,’ she told French TV.
‘That means absolute neutrality in public services, the French team will not wear the headscarf.’
Proselytising is the act of attempting to change people’s religious or political beliefs.
In France, the prohibition on Muslim women from wearing any form of religious headgear extends far beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Bans on hijabs are in place across several sports including football, basketball and volleyball, at both professional and amateur levels.
Amnesty International, along with 10 other sports and human rights groups, had earlier appealed to the IOC to intervene on the ban.
But the committee responded that overturning the policy was beyond its remit.
Foune Diawara, co-president of the football collective Hijabeuses, told Amnesty: ‘Our fight is not political or religious but centered on our human right to participate in sports.’
Former NBA player Tariq Abdul-Wahad, and former English cricketer Azeem Rafiq are among those who have urged France to overturn its decision.
The Olympics have already been laced with controversy amid high levels of E.Coli bacteria in the River Seine. The levels are so high that testing concludes it is not safe for swimming most days.
Hundreds of homeless people have also been banished from the French capital in the preparation for the iconic sporting event, leading to accusations that the government is trying to ‘sanitise’ the city.
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