Amnesty International has criticized France’s ban on hijabs for French women athletes at the Paris Olympic Games, calling it “discriminatory hypocrisy” and accusing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of weakness.
In their report, “We can’t breathe anymore. Even sports, we can’t do them anymore,” Amnesty International highlights the negative impact of the hijab ban on Muslim women and girls in sports throughout France. They state that the ban violates international human rights laws.
In September last year, France’s sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, announced that French athletes could not wear headscarves during the Olympics. She emphasized France’s commitment to strict secularism in sports. A few days later, the IOC clarified that the ban only applied to French athletes, not those from other countries.
The ban contradicts IOC regulations, which consider headscarves cultural rather than religious. Many human rights experts and social media users have criticized the decision, with some calling for a boycott of the event.
A spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that no one should dictate what a woman should wear. Six UN human rights experts also expressed concern that the ban violates the rights of Muslim women and girls to participate in sports, potentially fueling intolerance and discrimination.
In France, women and girls who wear hijabs are banned from many sports, even at the amateur level. France is the only European country with such bans in national legislation or sports regulations. This violates multiple international rights treaties and commitments outlined in the IOC’s human rights framework. The Olympic Charter states that every individual must have the opportunity to practice sport without discrimination, and the Olympic Host Contract requires the host country to protect and respect human rights.
The ban also contradicts the clothing rules of international sports bodies like FIFA, FIBA, and FIVB. Amnesty International’s Anna Blus stated that the ban exposes the racist gender discrimination in French sports, making a mockery of the claim that Paris 2024 is the first Gender Equal Olympics.
Despite repeated demands, the IOC has refused to ask French authorities to revoke the ban. Several organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Transparency International, have demanded that the IOC call on French sports authorities to overturn the ban. The IOC responded that France’s hijab ban is outside their remit, as freedom of religion is interpreted differently by different states.
The ban has led to discrimination, exclusion, and humiliation for many Muslim athletes. It prevents them from getting the necessary training and competition opportunities to reach the highest levels of their sports, affecting their mental and physical health.
Activists and rights groups have long been concerned that the intense focus on hijabs and Muslim women’s clothing in France is a sign of normalized Islamophobia, often justified under the guise of secularism. Amnesty International states that state neutrality or secularism is not a legitimate reason to restrict freedom of expression and religion. They argue that French authorities have weaponized these concepts to justify laws and policies that disproportionately affect Muslim women and girls, fueled by prejudice and racism.
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