“We Can’t Breathe Anymore. Even Sports, We Can’t Do Them Anymore.” Violations of Muslim Women’s and Girl’s Human Rights Through Hijab Bans in Sports in France

In the summer of 2024, the global community will turn its attention to Paris, France, as it hosts the XXXIII Olympic and Paralympic Games. These Games, held every four years, are a celebration of diverse sports guided by the values of excellence, respect, and friendship. The Olympic Charter declares that “the practice of sport is a human right,” emphasizing that everyone should have access to sports without any discrimination, honoring internationally recognized human rights within the Olympic Movement. The spirit of the Olympics calls for mutual understanding with friendship, solidarity, and fair play.

On International Women’s Day, the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of the Paris Games proudly announced that France is set to host the first Games with complete numerical gender parity on the playing field. Tony Estanguet, President of the French National and Olympic Sports Committee, expressed gratitude to local authorities for renaming sports facilities after notable women, acknowledging their efforts to make sports more inclusive and equal.

However, the French authorities have clearly and unapologetically excluded one group from their proclaimed efforts to improve gender equality and inclusivity in sports: Muslim women and girls who wear religious head coverings. In September 2023, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games, stated on France 3 that “representatives of our delegations, in our French teams, will not wear the headscarf.”

This article aims to highlight the discriminatory practices faced by Muslim women and girls in France and how these practices violate their human rights. Amnesty International argues that while the world watches athletes compete for medals and enjoy their right to practice sports without discrimination, it should also scrutinize the host country of the Olympics. France, despite its claims of gender parity in sports, does not extend these values to hijab-wearing Muslim women, effectively excluding them from its definition of women.