FRENCH sprinter Sounkamba Sylla is expected to swap her hijab for a hat to participate in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, Saturday (27/7) early morning WIB.
The move was a compromise reached when the country’s rules threatened to bar her from the opening ceremony because she wore a hijab.
Earlier this week, a Muslim member of the French women’s and mixed 400m relay teams said she could not participate in the opening ceremony because she wore a hijab.
“You were selected for the Olympics, which are held in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a hijab,” the 26-year-old wrote on social media.
The situation highlights long-standing tensions over the issue of religion since France’s sports minister said in September that athletes representing France would be banned from displaying religious symbols, including headscarves, during sporting events.
Human rights groups responded by calling on the French government to reverse the decision, which they said was discriminatory and had left many Muslim athletes invisible, marginalized and humiliated.
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France’s stance was also criticised by the UN, which said “no one should impose on a woman what she should, or should not, wear”.
The rule does not affect athletes outside France for the Olympics. This week, as thousands of athletes and officials, including some wearing headscarves, begin arriving in the country, the government appears eager to ease long-standing tensions over a law on religious symbols that is seen as discriminatory against Muslims.
David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic Committee, said French Olympic athletes were bound by the principle of secularism. “It may sometimes be incomprehensible in other countries of the world, but it is part of our DNA in France,” he added.
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French sports minister and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said authorities were trying to find a solution to the backlash and criticism of the policy. “Our citizens expect us to follow these principles, but we also need to be creative in finding solutions that make everyone feel comfortable,” she said.
Sylla said an agreement had been reached to allow him to participate in the opening ceremony.
While he did not offer further details, the French Olympic Committee said the sprinter had accepted the idea of wearing a cap as athletes marched across the Seine River.
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But that doesn’t seem to have eased discontent with France’s rules. In a video posted on social media this week, Australian boxer Tina Rahimi said she was “grateful” to be able to compete while wearing a hijab.
“But it’s a shame for athletes in France because it has nothing to do with your performance. And it shouldn’t stop you from being an athlete,” he said.
“It’s very difficult for you to be an Olympic athlete and think that you have to give up your faith to participate in this event.” (Theguardian/P-5)
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