French government and Olympic officials are working to find a way for Muslim French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla to wear her hijab during the opening ceremony while adhering to the country’s secularism laws, they announced on Wednesday.
This effort follows the recent revelation by the 26-year-old member of France’s 400-metre relay team on Instagram, where she shared that her hijab—a head covering worn by many Muslim women—would prevent her from participating in Friday’s high-profile opening ceremony.
“You are selected for the Olympic Games, organized in your country, but you can’t take part in the opening ceremony because you wear a scarf on your head,” Sylla wrote.
Thousands of athletes, some of whom wear hijabs, are drawing international attention to the tensions in France regarding national identity and perceived discrimination against Muslims, Reuters reported.
France, which has Europe’s largest Muslim minority, enforces secularism laws that prohibit state employees and school pupils from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public institutions. Rights groups argue that these rules effectively discriminate against Muslims.
French government and Olympic officials expressed their willingness to find a solution for Sylla, though it remains uncertain what that solution might be.
“Our citizens expect us to uphold these principles of secularism, but we also need to be creative in finding solutions to ensure everyone feels included,” said Amelia Oudea-Castera, minister for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, on Wednesday. She added that Sylla “understands our principles, our rules.”
Foreign athletes are not subject to the same secularism rules.
David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic Committee, stated that the French Olympic team is “participating in a public service mission and therefore must adhere to secularism.”
