Dressing for diversity: an overview of religious clothing policies in sport

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in France have generally been lauded by the media as a success and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that the Olympic Games were “younger, more inclusive, more urban and more sustainable [than previous Games]”.^[1]

One striking image during the Olympic Games was the juxtaposition between the Egyptian and Spanish female beach volleyball teams; while the latter wore bikinis, the former competed in leggings, long-sleeve t-shirts and hijabs. In a television interview, the Egyptian athlete Doaa Elghobashy stated “I want to play in my hijab, she wants to play in a bikini... I don’t tell you to wear a hijab and you don’t tell me to wear a bikini. No one can tell me how to dress. It’s a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want”.^[2]

Prior to the Olympic Games, the IOC made clear that athletes in Paris were able to represent themselves and their faith, as well as their country during the Olympic Games. The International Paralympic Committee’s position was the same for athletes in the Paralympic Games.  However, the position for French athletes was different. In September 2023, French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra announced^[3] on live television that French athletes would not be able to compete in a hijab at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, consistent with France’s secularist principals (discussed below).

France’s ban was brought into the spotlight when French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla, a practicing Muslim, was not allowed to wear a hijab during the opening ceremony or while competing. Ms Sylla was required to wear a cap by the French Olympic Committee if she wanted to represent France at the Olympic Games with her hair covered.^[4]

The ban drew criticism^[5] from certain athletes and human rights groups who claim that the ban is discriminatory on the basis it prevents Muslim women’s access to sports.

This article will:

• summarise the legal position in France regarding the use of religious clothing in public and in sport;
• briefly compare France’s position with that of Britain;^[6] and
• provide an overview of the evolution of religious clothing policies in sport.

This article is intended to provide an objective overview of the rules governing the use of religious clothing in sport, focusing on policies that affect Muslim women.

There are many different styles of religious garments, including the burqa (a veil covering body and face), a niqab (a face veil revealing the area around the eyes) and the hijab (a head covering revealing the face). For practical reasons, the hijab is the most frequently used garment by Muslim women whilst playing sport and, therefore, many religious clothing policies (and public discussion of the same) often refer to clothing policies as ‘hijab policies’. Whilst this article focuses on the hijab, the author will frequently refer to religious clothing more broadly to capture all applicable forms of religious head covering.