France has banned French athletes who wear the hijab from participating in the Summer Olympics, a decision that human rights organizations argue breaches international human rights treaties.
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera announced the ban on September 24, 2023.
A few days later, Oudea-Castera, appearing on the French political show “Dimanche en Politique”, confirmed that no woman in the French delegation would be permitted to wear a headscarf during the Paris Olympics.
Following the announcement, Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), criticized the ban. “No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear,” Hurtado stated on September 26.
On May 24, Amnesty International and other organizations sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), urging the body to call for the lifting of the headscarf ban for French athletes. Amnesty International reported that the IOC’s response was inadequate, with the committee stating that France’s headscarf ban fell outside its jurisdiction and noting that “freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.”
In a press release dated July 16, Amnesty International condemned the ban as evidence of France’s “discriminatory double standard” and criticized the IOC for its weak response. The organization asserted that the ban violates international human rights law and reflects the “discriminatory hypocrisy” of French authorities on the eve of the Paris Olympics.
