2024 Olympics: The Hijab Ban for French Athletes Tests the Host Nation’s Brand of Secularism
The French government's decision to ban French athletes from wearing hijabs at the 2024 Olympics sparked months of criticism from rights groups. France has chosen to maintain the ban, adhering to a strict interpretation of "laïcité," viewing French athletes as "public servants" subject to national secularism laws.
Jeremy Martin
Photo by Luca Dugaro on Unsplash
On International Women’s Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Paris Games organizers announced that "France is preparing to host the first Games with full numerical gender parity on the playing field." Despite this milestone, the host nation has faced harsh criticism from human rights organizations for maintaining a ban on French athletes wearing religious garments during the Games.
Ahead of the Games, Sounkamba Sylla, a member of the French 4x400m relay team, used her Instagram account to protest her exclusion from the opening ceremony due to her hijab. Sylla lamented, “You've been selected for the Olympics, which are being held in your country, but you can't take part in the opening ceremony because you're wearing a headscarf,” she said, referring ironically to the “land of freedom.”
As a practicing Muslim who wished to cover her hair both in and out of competition, Sylla faced the strict principle of secularism upheld by French sport. She eventually reached an agreement with the French sports authority (CNOSF) to wear a French Olympic cap instead of a hijab to attend the opening ceremony.
Sounkamba Sylla of team France attends the 4x400m Relay Women during day five of the 26th European Athletics Championships Rome 2024, June 11, 2024, in Rome. Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images
French Secularism, or ‘Laïcité’
To justify the ban, the French government emphasizes "laïcité," a cornerstone of French society since 1905 that separates religion from the state. "Laïcité" compels the government not to favor or discriminate against any religious, philosophical, or political belief, manifesting as a ban on expressing religious or political affiliation in public institutions.
In September 2023, French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera confirmed that the French Olympic team, as a publicly funded institution, is bound by "laïcité." “It means absolute neutrality in public services,” she stated. “The France team will not wear the headscarf.”
In contrast, the IOC clarified that athletes in Paris can represent their faith, with no restrictions on wearing religious or cultural attire. This stance juxtaposes France’s strict secularism with the IOC’s tolerance of religious expression.
Ironically, French athletes, deemed "civil servants," are banned from expressing religious affiliation, while international athletes are free to wear religious symbols during the Games.
Sports minister Oudea-Castera explained to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour the interpretation of “laïcité.”
“When you’re an athlete representing your country, you need to be exemplary,” she said. “You need to stick to very neutral rules, meaning that you’re not allowed to wear religious or political signs.” “[Sounkamba Sylla] can wear something [on her head], but not something that can be assimilated to a religious symbol.”
Backlash and Condemnation
The host country's decision has sparked backlash from international human rights groups. "No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear," said UN rights office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado.
Amnesty International and ten other groups wrote to the IOC in June, asking for the ban to be overturned, warning that it discriminates against Muslim athletes. Amnesty International’s Women’s Rights Researcher in Europe, Anna Błuś, stated, "Banning French athletes from competing with sports hijabs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first Gender Equal Olympics and lays bare the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in France."
French media watchdog Arret sur image published a report analyzing the media coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics on France’s main public television channel, France 2, that holds the rights to broadcast the 2024 Paris Olympic games.
“In the two weeks before the opening ceremony, France 2's 1 pm and 8 pm news programs devoted 3 hours 20 minutes of airtime to Paris 2024, of which only 5 minutes were devoted to criticism. In all, out of 103 items devoted to the Games, only 3 were critical.”
The report highlights the broadcaster’s unwillingness in the two-week lead-up to the Games to engage with any of the meaningful social or logistical issues that have been covered in other national and international media, such as “the evacuation of migrant camps in Paris and of homeless people sent to the regions - but also [...] damage to natural sites, sponsorships of polluting companies, security measures (such as algorithmic surveillance), the difficulties of access to several hospitals, the price of metro tickets (4 euros, double the usual price), the difficulties of movement for people with reduced mobility in streets lined with barriers.”
The debate over French athletes wearing the hijab was not mentioned on France 2’s flagship news programs in the two weeks leading up to the Games.
‘Abandoning Their Identity’
While France cites noble intentions around "laïcité" to prevent discrimination and encourage equality, the reality for many Muslim women athletes is exclusion. Strict implementation of "laïcité" in sports discourages Muslim women from pursuing competitions, as they often have to "abandon a part of their identity."
While the French government insists that the ban upholds a long-standing commitment to secularism and neutrality in public institutions, critics argue that it disproportionately impacts Muslim women, forcing them to choose between their faith and their athletic aspirations.
At the 2016 Olympics, Egyptian volleyball player Doaa Elghobashy became the first to play in long pants, sleeves, and a hijab. Elghobashy advocates for "liberté," another French cornerstone principle, to trump “laïcité,” arguing that allowing hijabs offers "freedom for everyone" and shifts the focus to athletes’ performances rather than their attire.
Getty Images. Elghobashy's Olympic debut for Egypt against Germany in 2016 made headlines around the world.
"The hijab is a part of me. It’s not [that way] for everyone."
The debate over the hijab ban at the 2024 Paris Olympics encapsulates a broader struggle between France's strict interpretation of "laïcité" and the principles of individual freedom and expression championed by international bodies like the IOC.
Ultimately, the situation underscores a significant irony: while France aims to present itself as a beacon of equality and neutrality, the rigid application of "laïcité" in the context of the Olympics may, in fact, undermine these very ideals. The international stage of the Olympics, where athletes are celebrated for their diversity and personal journeys, starkly contrasts with the restrictive measures imposed on French athletes.
As the world watches the 2024 Paris Olympics, the hijab ban serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing challenges in balancing state principles with individual rights. The true test of "liberté, égalité, fraternité" will be whether France can find a way to honor its secular traditions while also embracing the diverse identities of all its citizens.
