French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will now be taking part in the Opening Ceremony at this year’s Olympics, France’s sports minister told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will now be taking part in the Opening Ceremony at this year’s Olympics, France’s sports minister told CNN, after the runner previously said she would not be allowed to because she wears a headscarf. “You are selected for the Olympic Games, organized in your country, but you can’t take part in the opening ceremony because you wear a scarf on your head,” Sylla posted on her private Instagram account Sunday, per Reuters.
“So what we discussed with her is the fact that she can wear something, but not something that can be assimilated to a religious symbol.” France has pursued a series of controversial bans and restrictions on items of customarily Islamic dress in recent years. Last year, the United Nations’ human rights office criticized the French government for banning French athletes from wearing the hijab at the Paris Olympics.
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