France’s Headscarf Ban at Olympics Sparks Human Rights Controversy

In a report entitled "We can’t even breathe. Even sport we can’t do anymore.", Amnesty International warns of the devastating consequences that bans on wearing the headscarf have for Muslim women and girls in sport at all levels in France. "Banning French athletes from participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games if they wear a sports headcover empties their claims that the Paris 2024 Olympics are the first to achieve gender parity and exposes the racial and gender discrimination that characterizes access to sport in France," said Anna Błuś, a researcher on women’s rights at this global organization. According to them, the discriminatory rules governing the clothing that women can wear "violate the human rights of Muslim women and girls and have devastating consequences for their participation in sports, hindering efforts to make sport more inclusive and accessible."

The athletes themselves speak about it. "Mentally, it’s also difficult, because you really feel excluded. Especially if you go to the bench and the referee tells you to go to the stands. Everyone sees you... It’s a walk of shame," Hélène Bâ, a basketball player, told Amnesty International, who has not been allowed to participate in a basketball competition since October 2023. For her, the ban on the headscarf at the Paris Olympics is "a clear violation of the Olympic Charter, values and provisions, and an infringement of our human rights and fundamental freedoms. I think it will be a shameful moment for France." "It’s unfortunate. It’s even shameful to be at this stage in 2024, blocking dreams just for a piece of fabric," deplores "B", another woman. "Our fight is not political, not religious, it concerns sport and only sport," assures Founé Diawara, co-president of the football collective Les Hijabeuses.

"No political leader should dictate what a woman can or cannot wear and no woman should be forced to choose between the sport she loves and her faith, cultural identity or beliefs," said Anna Błuś, saying that France can still reverse the ban on wearing the veil in sport. "It’s not too late, the French authorities, sports federations and the IOC can still make the right decision and cancel all bans on headscarf-wearing athletes in sport in France, both for the Summer Olympics and for all sports activities in the country, at all levels."