The French runner was banned from the opening ceremony of the Olympics due to wearing a hijab.
Sonkamba Silla, a French Muslim runner, wrote on her Instagram page that she could not participate in the grand opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics due to her hijab.
Criticizing this decision, Silla wrote: You are selected to participate in the Olympic Games held in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening because you are wearing a scarf!
On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Minister of Sports of France confirmed in a statement the prohibition of French female athletes from wearing the hijab during the games!
French Sports Minister Amelie Audea-Castera initially announced the ban on September 24, 2024. A few pages later, he confirmed that no women from the French contingent would wear a hijab during the Olympic Games.
After the ban was announced, Marta Hurtado, a spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the ban “false” in a statement released on September 26.
On May 24, Amnesty International, together with several other organizations, sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee about this ban, asking the French sports authorities to remove the restrictions imposed on veils both in the Olympics and in other sports events.
Amnesty International announced in a statement on July 16 that the hijab ban indicates the existence of a “double and discriminatory standard in French politics”. According to this institution, the said ban violates international regulations. This institution also emphasized that this ban represents the “discriminatory plan” of the French authorities and the “weakness” of the International Olympic Committee on the eve of these games. The Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by France from August 5 to 21.