French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla says she has been barred from Friday's opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics because she wears a hijab, and the French Olympic Committee (FOC) said it is working with her to find a solution that adheres to the team's secular requirements for athletes. Sylla, a 26-year-old member of France's 400-meter women's and mixed relay teams, shared her frustration on Instagram on Sunday. Opinion French hijab ban in sports called a 'shameful moment' as it prepares to host Olympics "You are selected for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can't participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf," she wrote.
France enforces a strict principle of " laicite ", loosely translated as "secularism." On Wednesday, David Lappartient, president of the FOC, said that French Olympians are bound by the secular principles that apply to public sector workers in France, separating state and church, which includes a ban on hijabs. "It's perhaps sometimes not understandable in other countries in the world, but it's part of our DNA here in France," he said.
Lappartient said discussions are underway with Sylla to find a solution that adheres to the French Olympic team's secular requirements while also respecting the athlete's "legitimate wish that her beliefs are respected." "I have no doubt that a solution can be found," he said. "We hope that everyone can take part in the opening ceremony.
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