Members of the Egyptian women’s beach volleyball team have expressed their disapproval of France’s hijab ban for athletes following their participation in an Olympic beach volleyball match while wearing modest attire.
Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy, representing Egypt at the Paris Olympics, donned hijabs, black long-sleeved shirts, and black ankle-length leggings during a women’s beach volleyball match against Spain.
If they were part of the French team, the duo would have been prohibited from wearing their hijabs. The host country of this year’s Olympics has enforced a ban on athletes wearing any “ostensible religious symbols” while competing.
Abdelhady expressed her discontent with the hijab ban for French athletes, stating that she “doesn’t like” the restriction. Elghobashy emphasized the importance of athletes being able to wear attire of their choice, as long as their cultural and religious beliefs are respected.
In January 2022, the French senate passed a law prohibiting the wearing of the hijab and other “ostensible religious symbols” in sports competitions. This ban was confirmed to apply to French athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, with French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra emphasizing the country’s commitment to a “strict regime of secularism” in sports.
