Russia slams France's decision to bar hijab-wearing athlete from Paris Olympics opening ceremony

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Friday criticized the French Olympic Committee for banning a hijab-wearing athlete from representing her country France at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, calling it "another glaring act of segregation."

Sounkamba Sylla, a French sprinter of color who practices Islam, has been barred from representing the country at the opening ceremony, with the French Olympic Committee citing a ban on “wearing traditional clothing” at sporting events, Zakharova said in a statement.

She emphasized that this decision demonstrated how far the international sporting event has deviated from the goals set by the Olympic movement in Paris over 100 years ago, contradicting the Olympic spirit.

"Previously, Russian and Belarusian athletes were also subject to segregation under unfounded pretexts. These bans were later extended to Russian media outlets, and now French athletes are also affected by this discriminatory administrative-political regulatory machine," she lamented.

Despite French officials' claims to value diversity and free expression, dissenters face visible sanctions, Zakharova said, adding: "The sacred principle of keeping sport separate from politics has been trampled by the collective West."

"Given these circumstances, the Olympics no longer possess the distinctive attributes that allow them to be viewed as open, honest, fair, and democratic sporting competitions," she concluded.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which run until August 11, began on Friday with an opening ceremony along the Seine River.