Days before the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is held in Paris, France came under fire from sports and civil rights organizations. On 24 September 2023, sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra announced a ban prohibiting the wearing of hijabs by athletes representing the country. In recent weeks she has doubled down on the decision.

Though French sporting authorities have expressed a commitment to the Olympic values of “excellence, respect and friendship”, groups including Human Rights Watch and the Sport & Rights Alliance have called out the “discriminatory hypocrisy” of prohibiting the wearing of headscarves by national sportspeople. The ruling has a direct effect on French Muslim athletes including basketball players Salimata Sylla and Helene Ba, who have both previously worn hijabs while competing.

“How can such values be embraced when the French authorities’ efforts to improve gender equality and inclusivity in sports do not apply to one group of women and girls?” asked Amnesty International in an article about the decision.

While the ban only applies to French athletes, sports campaign groups warn that it violates the rights of Muslim women and girls, and has a “devastating impact on their participation in sport”.

Here are some trailblazing athletes from around the world who will be wearing hijabs at Paris 2024.

Tina Rahimi, Australia

When she steps into the ring in Paris, Tina Rahimi (pictured above) will be the first female Muslim boxer to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. That achievement comes two years after winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Despite only taking up boxing as a hobby in 2017, Rahimi now has her sights set on gold in the women’s featherweight contest.

Taking part in combat sports as a hijabi woman has not been easy for Rahimi. In a recent interview, she described repeated experiences of discrimination. She has also expressed her frustration with the French authorities’ decision on Instagram.

“It’s so unfortunate for the athletes in France because [wearing the hijab] has nothing to do with your performance and it should not get in the way of you being an athlete,” she said.

“It’s so hard to be an Olympic athlete and to think that you have to give away your faith to participate in these events. Everyone should be equal — how is my hijab going to affect anything?”

Safiya al-Sayegh, United Arab Emirates

At just 22, Emirati cyclist Safiya al-Sayegh is the first woman cyclist from the United Arab Emirates to compete in the Olympic road race. Her sporting journey began eight years ago, when she and her father took bike rides around their neighborhood together.

Al-Sayegh has come a long way since then. In 2023 she took part in her first UCI Women’s World Tour event with the professional UAE Team ADQ and travelled to Hangzhou, China, to compete in the Asian Games.

Now she hopes to be in the running for a medal in Paris. As she explained in a recent interview: “I am trying to pave a way that no other woman ever did in my country, which is a privilege and a big responsibility, too. I’d like to set the standard high and do my best for whoever wants to follow.”

Nahid Kiani, Iran

When Nahid Kiani steps onto the mat in Paris, she will be representing Iran in taekwondo at the Olympic Games. Kiani, who began practicing taekwondo at the age of eight, has an impressive track record. She won the gold medal in the women’s bantamweight event at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kiani also secured bronze medals at the 2016 Asian Championships and the 2018 Asian Games.

Competing as a hijabi athlete has presented its challenges for Kiani. She has faced discrimination and has been vocal about the importance of allowing athletes to compete without compromising their religious beliefs. “It’s not just about winning medals; it’s about representing my faith and my country with pride,” she has said. Kiani is determined to make her mark in the women’s 57kg taekwondo competition in Paris.

Dunya Abutaleb, Saudi Arabia

Starting out in taekwondo at eight years old, Saudi champion Dunya Abutaleb trained at a boys’ club because there were no girls to compete with. Now 27, she is the first Saudi Arabian woman to earn an Olympic team place to compete in the sport.

Abutaleb’s competition record is impressive, winning bronze medals at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, and at the 2022 Asian Championships. She is now determined to shine in the Olympic women’s 49kg competition.

“Being the first woman is a great challenge for me — when I achieve in my sport, I don’t do it only in my name. I do it in the name of Saudi Arabia,” she has said.

Marwa Bouzayani, Tunisia

Tunisian 3,000m steeplechaser Marwa Bouzayani is gearing up for her second Olympics in Paris. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, she came in sixth place. No doubt, she will be hoping to improve on that performance this year.

Bouzayani, who competes in a hijab and modest attire, has said she hopes to be a role model for Muslim girls, showing them “that success in elite sports can be realized without forsaking religious values and beliefs”.

Farzaneh Fasihi, Iran

Farzaneh Fasihi, Iran’s record-breaking sprinter, will be competing in the 100-meter sprint at the Paris Olympics. Born in Isfahan, Fasihi has been a trailblazer in Iranian athletics. She holds the national record for the 60 meters indoor with a time of 7.20 seconds. Fasihi’s journey has been marked by perseverance and resilience, overcoming numerous obstacles to reach the pinnacle of her sport.

Fasihi’s achievements include winning gold in the 60 meters at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. She has also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. “Every race is a testament to my hard work and dedication,” Fasihi has said. She hopes to inspire other Muslim girls to pursue their dreams without compromising their values.

Source: Hyphen

Before getting into the ring, Rahimi has her arms and legs covered, wearing a full-length hijab under her protective headgear. Asked whether it was comfortable or not, she said, “Oh god, it’s extremely hot. In the Solomon Islands, the humidity was insane. As soon as I put the head cover on, I was dripping sweat. But, like with fasting and training, I adjust.”

The holy month of Ramadan, during which time the Muslim faithful abstain from food and drink from dawn until sunset, coincided with this year’s IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in India.

“I had to get my running in before sunrise in order to keep up my training and water levels,” Rahimi said.

She added, “I could only do one session a day. I felt very fatigued, drained. But it’s part of my religion and so it’s important to me.”

Rahimi’s achievements are not limited to qualifying to the Olympics. She was also the first female Australian Muslim boxer to compete at a Commonwealth Games when she won a bronze medal in the featherweight division (57 kilograms) in Birmingham in 2022.

She also won gold at the recent Pacific Games in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands, where she was the unanimous choice of all five judges in the final.

From running to boxing and football, the rise of inspirational Muslim women in sport is in full swing.

Last year, England’s first hijabi boxing coach Haseebah Abdullah was recognized as a Birmingham “Hometown Hero”.

Rahimi is not the only hijabi boxer. Many female Muslim boxers joined the sport after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) amended its rules in 2019. The new rules allow Muslim boxers to wear a hijab and cover full body in the ring.

Source: WAtoday