The Olympic Games date back over 2,000 years, with the first recorded evidence in 776 BC. It was then that the Greeks began measuring time in Olympiads, the four-year intervals between each edition of the Games. The original Olympics, held every four years in honor of Zeus, included artistic activities such as music, poetry, and theater, linking culture and sport from the outset.
In 393 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Games, deeming them pagan. The Olympics were not revived until the 19th century in Paris by Charles Pierre de Frédy, also known as Baron de Coubertin, the co-founder of the International Olympic Committee and father of the modern Olympic Games. Baron de Coubertin’s vision for the modern Olympics included developing physical and mental qualities, fostering mutual understanding and friendship, promoting international goodwill, and bringing athletes together for a major celebration of sport every four years.
Now, in 2024, the Olympics are once again being held in Paris. The principles established in the 19th century aimed to promote a peaceful world and international goodwill, but these ideals seem at odds with recent events. This year’s Olympics have banned French women athletes from wearing the hijab, igniting significant backlash. How can a universal event that celebrates diverse cultures through sport fail to respect the cultures and religions of its participants?
The ban isn’t new. In April 2022, lawmakers in France voted in favor of prohibiting the veil in sporting competitions. At the time, it was uncertain if the controversial law would be enforced in the Olympics, especially after in September 2023, when the International Olympic Committee, upholding freedom of religious and cultural expression for all athletes, announced that athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Games can wear a hijab without any restriction. But as this summer’s Olympic host couldn’t extend the hijab ban to international athletes, they decided to target their own. Since French athletes are bound by laïcité (France’s separation of religion from the state), French Sport Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has barred Muslim women competing for France to wear their hijabs at the Olympics.
Naturally, the news was publicly denounced by several human rights organizations. On Tuesday, Amnesty International called France’s refusal to allow its athletes to wear the hijab while competing in the Games “discriminatory” and “hypocritical.”
“French authorities made it emphatically and unashamedly clear … that their proclaimed efforts at improving gender equality and inclusivity in sports do not apply to one group of women and girls — those Muslim women and girls who wear religious head coverings,” a new report from Amnesty International says.
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The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also denounced the decision, stating, “No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear, or not wear.”
Indeed, the ban contradicts the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) own human rights framework, which prohibits discrimination of any kind. What makes the rule even more ironic is that this year’s Games are being touted as the “Gender Equal Olympics” by the IOC, the World Economic Forum, and France because there will be a 50% participation rate between male and female athletes competing.
Anna Błuś, Amnesty International’s women’s-rights researcher in Europe, put it plainly in Tuesday’s report: “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.”
France’s history of discrimination against Muslims has reached a disturbing peak. Amnesty International’s report highlights the severe impact of hijab bans on Muslim women and girls, causing many to abandon sports or seek opportunities elsewhere. These bans contradict the clothing rules of international sports bodies like FIFA and FIBA, and France is the only country in Europe with such prohibitions enshrined in law.
The bans extend beyond the Olympics, affecting sports like football, basketball, and volleyball at all levels. This exclusion prevents Muslim women from receiving necessary training and competition opportunities. The psychological and physical toll is significant, causing humiliation, trauma, and fear.
Hélène Bâ, a French basketball player who began wearing a hijab as a teenager, co-founded Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All Women) with sports sociologist Dr. Haifa Tlili. Bâ is not allowed to play in her home country due to the hijab ban, upheld by France’s top court in June 2023. She calls the ban a clear violation of the Olympic charter and fundamental rights.
Despite the challenges, groups like Les Hijabeuses and Basket Pour Toutes continue to advocate for hijab-wearing athletes, organizing festivals and tournaments. However, they remain excluded from recognized sports in France, with no opportunities for advancement.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics approach, it is crucial for France to align its actions with the principles of Olympism—celebrating diversity, respecting all cultures, and committing to equality. And if France cannot champion the values in which the Games were founded, perhaps they have no business hosting the competition in the first place.
