PARIS: The effort comes after the 26-year-old member of France’s 400m relay team recently took to her Instagram to reveal that her hijab – the head covering worn by many Muslim women – would prevent her from appearing at Friday’s blockbuster opening ceremony.
She wrote: “You are selected for the Olympics held in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening ceremony because you are wearing a headscarf.”
Thousands of athletes, including some who wear the hijab, are drawing international attention to tensions in France over national identity and perceived discrimination against Muslims, Reuters reported.
France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority, enforces laws to protect the principle of secularism, which bans civil servants and schoolchildren from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public institutions.
Human rights organizations say these rules effectively discriminate against Muslims.
French government and Olympic officials have said they are willing to find a solution for Sylla, though it remains unclear what that might be.
The rules of secularism do not apply to foreign athletes.
