Human rights advocates say hijab bans in sports “need to go” as they “deny a space for women themselves”.
France banned its athletes from using the Muslim head covering when they competed in last year’s Paris Olympic Games. The European country also bans the use of hijabs across sports such as football, basketball and volleyball at all levels. The French Senate passed a bill in February to ban religious symbols, such as the hijab, in all sporting competitions.
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The head covering, however, is considered in Islam as an expression of devotion and faith in modesty. It can also be seen as a cultural or traditional habit.
The hijab ban was discussed at the 2025 Play the Game conference in Finland on Monday, as part of a multi-day annual event that describes itself on its website as “driving dialogue for democracy in sport”.
Founding director of Sports Legal Khayran Noor condemned the ban, saying that “when sport denies a place for (the hijab), it denies a space for women themselves”.
Frank Conde Tandberg, policy advisor for human rights group Amnesty International Norway, said that hijab bans hold no “legitimate purpose” and “need to go”. Having to choose between becoming an athlete and their identity, Tandberg added, is a “humiliating experience that leads to exclusion and a range of physical and mental health issues”.
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France first banned headscarves in 2004, outlawing religious symbols or clothing in school after months of debate. Since then, the bans have extended to sports, with President Emmanuel Macron saying earlier this year that he is “in favour of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits the wearing of any religious symbols during competitions”, per Sport Resolutions. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed hijabs to be worn in Paris’ Olympic village but left competition rules up to the host country’s discretion.
France’s rationale behind the headscarf ban as being neutral and secular was an idea which former basketball player Helene Ba rebuked at the Play the Game conference.
Ba, 23, has been banned from playing her sport due to her refusal to take off her hijab. “(The myth of neutrality) is the most hypocritical thought ever,” she said. “Sports and sports competition are based on differentiation by age, gender, weight, height, money, race, and religion.”
In research conducted by Amnesty International, France is the only country out of 38 that has imposed bans on religious headwear in sports. Meanwhile, companies such as Nike and Haya have produced sports-specific hijabs made of synthetic fabrics to enhance comfort and inclusive participation.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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