French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will now participate 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 because she wears a headscarf.
“You have been selected for the Olympic Games, organized in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a headscarf,” Sylla posted on her private Instagram account on Sunday, per Reuters.
But in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said a solution had been found to allow Sylla to participate in Friday’s ceremony.
“The problem is solved,” Oudéa-Castéra told Amanpour.
Oudéa-Castéra highlighted that it was explained to Sylla that the rule exists based on the French constitution and that she would not be allowed to use religious or political signs.
“This is the law and we need to obey the law, and she understands perfectly that when you are an athlete representing your country, you need to be exemplary,” explained the French sports minister.
“So what we discussed with her is the fact that she can wear something, but not something that could be assimilated to a religious symbol.”
France pursued a series of controversial prohibitions and restrictions in items of customary Islamic clothing in recent years.
Last year, the United Nations human rights office criticized the French government for banning French athletes wear the hijab at the Paris Olympics.
At the time, Oudéa-Castéra defended “a strict regime of secularism, rigorously applied in the field of sport”.
On Thursday, Oudéa-Castéra said that Sylla and LVMH, who are designing the French Opening Ceremony costumes, have now found a solution where the sprinter can cover her hair.
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone and we’re happy. I always say that when you are benevolent, when you are constructive, when you are pragmatic, you can have a solid respect for your rules, but at the same time finding the right paths, you know, to find solutions,” added Oudéa-Castéra . .
The Opening Ceremony takes place on Friday and will be held on the banks of the River Seine, marking the first time that the ceremony does not take place inside a stadium.
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