Aussie Muslim boxer slams France for enforcing ban on hijabs at the Paris Olympics
- France has banned its Olympic athletes from wearing the hijab
- Australian Muslim boxer is in turmoil over decision
Australian Muslim boxer Tina Rahimi has criticised France for not allowing its athletes to wear the hijab at the Paris Olympics.
The 28-year-old Rahimi is one of 12 Australian fighters who qualified for Paris. Australia is sending its largest boxing team ever to the Games.
Rahimi, from Bankstown in Sydney’s west, wears a full hijab during her competitions and won bronze in the featherweight class at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
France announced in April that it would ban its athletes from wearing the hijab, with French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera saying the decision was taken to uphold the principle of secularism.
The host country has faced heavy criticism from both France and international human rights organizations, and now Rahimi has joined the outrage.
“This has to do with the laws in France,” Rahimi began in a message on social media.
‘Luckily I can still wear my hijab, which I am very grateful for.
“But it’s such a shame for the athletes in France because it has nothing to do with their performance. It shouldn’t get in the way of being an athlete.
Australian boxer Tina Rahimi (pictured) has criticised France for maintaining a controversial ban on headscarves at the Paris Games
“It’s so hard for you to be an Olympic athlete and think that you have to give up your faith to compete in these events. I believe that everyone should be equal.
‘What effect is my hijab going to have on anything? People grow up wanting to go to the Olympics and that’s all they work towards and all they want to achieve. That would take away someone’s dream.
‘I support all French girls… It’s really a shame.’
France is the only country in Europe that bans women wearing headscarves from participating in most national sporting competitions.
Human rights groups have said the policy not only violates the IOC’s own guidelines, but also international treaty obligations that France must adhere to.
In June 2023, the French Council of State upheld a ban on female footballers wearing headscarves during matches, after the ban had already been imposed by the French Football Federation.
Human rights organizations have long been concerned about the consequences of women wearing headscarves being prevented from participating in sports.
According to Amnesty International, such bans have negative mental and physical consequences for women and cause “humiliation, trauma and fear”.
Rahimi says the decision is unfortunate and a blow to people’s Olympic dreams
The French approach to the Olympic Games has also attracted the attention of the United Nations.
While the UN did not comment directly on the ban, the spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva said in a veiled condemnation after the policy was announced that “no one should tell a woman what she should or should not wear.”
She also pointed out that ‘discriminatory practices against a group can have harmful consequences’, adding: ‘Restrictions on the expression of religions or beliefs, such as the choice of clothing, are only acceptable under very specific circumstances’