As the Paris Olympics approach, France’s decision to ban athletes from wearing religious symbols, including the hijab, at the upcoming Paris Olympics has ignited criticism from athletes and rights groups.
This policy has sparked outrage from athletes and rights groups who call it discriminatory and exclusionary.
Diaba Konate, a 24-year-old French Muslim basketball player, spoke out at a press conference organized by human rights groups. She expressed her disappointment at being effectively barred from representing her country at the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11, due to the ban.
“Despite my desire and skills, I’m not actually allowed to play for France because of discriminatory policies.
“It’s very frustrating to be excluded from representing my home country, simply because of my religious identity.
“I strongly believe that sports should be inclusive,” the athlete who has played on France’s national youth team and has a career in college basketball in the United States said.
The Sport & Rights Alliance, a coalition that includes Human Rights See and Amnesty International, on Tuesday, condemned the ban, calling it “discriminatory”.
In a letter to the International Olympic Committee dated May 24 and shown to the press on Tuesday, it urged the Olympics body “to publicly call on sporting authorities in France to overturn all bans on athletes wearing the hijab in French sport, both at Paris 2024 and at all times and all levels of sport.”
Adding, the Alliance’s Director, Andrea Florence said, “This would ensure that the Olympics leave a long-lasting and meaningful legacy for the values of dignity and equality.”
The French government defends the ban as upholding its commitment to secularism and state neutrality regarding religion.
They argue that current laws prohibit religious symbols deemed “ostentatious” for public school students, teachers, and civil servants.
The application of the ban in sports is inconsistent. While some sports allow female athletes to wear hijabs, others like soccer and basketball do not. This lack of uniformity adds to the controversy.
Timothee Gauthierot, a basketball coach in the Paris region and co-founder of the Basket pour Toutes (Basketball for All) activist group, highlighted the detrimental effects of the ban.
“The girls are disgusted, already some girls have stopped doing sport. It’s having an impact on their physical and mental health.
“It’s dramatic just weeks ahead of the Olympics, which are supposed to be popular games for everyone. There’s a paradox, a hypocrisy,” he said.
Gauthierot further raises concerns about the potential targeting of the hijab. He points out that rules against religious symbols also exist for the Jewish kippa and Sikh turban, yet their enforcement seems less strict.
“I don’t know players who wear the kippa, but I do know Sikh players who wear a turban. They’re still playing and they haven’t been banned from the court,” he noted.