French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics wearing a cap to cover her hair, an agreement reached with the French Olympic Committee after Sylla said she was barred because of her hijab, APA reports citing Associated Press.
During Friday’s opening ceremony, which includes a parade by athletes on the Seine River, the French delegation will wear tailor-made uniforms by the French luxury brand Berluti, which is owned by the LVMH Group.
“In consultation with the French Athletics Federation, the French Ministry of Sports, Paris 2024, and Berluti, discussions were held with Sounkamba Sylla,” the French Olympic Committee said Thursday in a statement. “She was offered the possibility of wearing a cap during the parade, which she accepted.”
France enforces a strict principle of “ laïcité,” loosely translated as “secularism.” On Wednesday, the president of the French Olympic Committee had said that French Olympians are bound by the secular principles that apply to public sector workers in France separating state and church, which includes a ban on hijabs.
But Sylla, who will compete in the women’s and mixed relay for France, posted a message on her Instagram account to announce that an arrangement had been made.
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