Russia says France hijab ban in Olympics blatant act of segregation
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Maria Zakharova says there is no reason for the Paris Olympics to be seen as open, fair, or democratic following France's Hijab ban.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP)
France's decision to ban a Hijabi athlete from participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics is a "blatant act of segregation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
This comes after French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla revealed that she was banned from attending the Olympic opening ceremony because of her hijab.
Amid the decision, Zakharova said it was clear since the beginning that the Games did not carry the Olympic spirit and were completely detached from the Olympics' objectives.
She drew comparisons to the discrimination faced by Russian and Belarusian athletes at the games, saying France's "logic of cancellation" was now impacting French athletes.
"One more time [the West] violates the spirit of sports outside of politics. Contrary to claims of some French officials that they are striving for diversity and freedom of expression, those who disagree are demonstrably and ostentatiously sanctioned," she added.
Zakharova concluded her statement by saying the Paris Olympics now have no reason to be considered or perceived as "open, fair, or democratic."
Read more: France's Hijab ban: A poor excuse for secularism at the Olympics
UN opposes French-imposed dress codes after France hijab ban at Olympics
Back in September, the UN criticized France's decision to bar its Olympic athletes from wearing the Hijab during the 2024 Paris Games, stressing that it was opposed to most dress codes for women.
"No-one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear," United Nations rights office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva.
Hurtado's comment came after the French Sports Minister said the country's athletes would be barred from wearing headscarves during the Games, "in line with the country's rules."
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera repeated on Sunday that the government was opposed to any display of religious symbols during sporting events.
"What does that mean? That means a ban on any type of proselytising. That means absolute neutrality in public services," she told France 3 television.
"The France team will not wear the headscarf."
