"Part of our DNA"

Headscarf controversy surrounding French sprinter

Sounkamba Sylla (l.) with her French colleagues from the 4x400-meter relay team(Bild: AFP)

Shortly before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris, there are discussions about the participation of a French track and field athlete wearing a headscarf in the opening ceremony. 

Sprinter Sounkamba Sylla wrote on Instagram: "You are nominated for the Olympic Games, which are taking place in your country, but you cannot take part in the opening ceremony because you are wearing a headscarf." The French Olympic Committee stated that the 400-meter runner would wear a cap.

Sounkamba Sylla(Bild: GEPA)

France sees itself as a secular country in which there is a strict separation of state and religion. It is forbidden to wear a headscarf at school, for example. This rule also applies to female civil servants. There is actually no legal ban in sport. The associations handle this differently. For example, a headscarf is permitted in tennis, but not in soccer.

"Part of our DNA"
However, France's acting sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra stated: "The representatives in our delegations and in our French teams will not wear headscarves." The head of the French Olympic Committee defended this line. "It may not be understandable in other countries, but it's part of our DNA here in France," said David Lappartient.