Egypt’s Olympic volleyball duo challenged the competition in full dress at the Olympic games today – before slamming the hijab ban imposed on French athletes.
Following Egypt’s 2-0 defeat to Spain, the pair were seen embracing in long-sleeved tops, leggings and hijabs as the Spanish duo celebrated their victory in tight red bikinis and matching sun visors.
The bold move comes after France banned team members from wearing headscarves, with the country’s sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, saying the move was made to respect the principles of secularism.
But despite this, Abdelhady and Elghobashy took to the volleyball court with religious head coverings and then condemned the ban.
Egypt’s Olympic volleyball duo compete in headscarves against bikini-clad Spanish opponents.
Egyptian athletes Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy challenged in all-black outfits along with religious headscarves – clothing banned for French athletes.
Spain’s Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Paula Soria Gutierrez wear red bikinis during the game
The picture went viral on social media because of the stark contrast in her outfit
‘I want to play in a hijab, she wants to play in a bikini – everything is fine, if you want to be naked or wear a hijab. Just respect all different cultures and religions,’ Elghobashy told Expressen.
‘I didn’t tell you to wear a hijab and you didn’t tell me to wear a bikini. No one can tell you how to dress.
‘It’s a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want’.
Amnesty International and 10 other groups wrote to the International Olympic Committee in June calling for the ban to be lifted, warning that it resulted in ‘discrimination’ against Muslim athletes.
“Women and girls in France who wear hijab have been banned from playing various sports including football, basketball, judo, boxing, volleyball and badminton — even at the youth and amateur levels,” the letter said.
“The hijab ban in sports has left many Muslim athletes discriminated, invisible, excluded and humiliated, causing trauma and social isolation – some have left or are considering leaving the country to seek opportunities to play elsewhere.
Human rights organizations later slammed the Olympic host country after the ban was not lifted.
“Banning French athletes from competing in headscarves at the Olympics and Paralympics makes a mockery of the claim that Paris 2024 is the first gender-neutral Olympics and exposes the racist gender discrimination that supports access to sports in France,” said Anna BÅ‚us, Amnesty International. researcher on women’s rights in Europe.
Abdelhady and Elghobashy embrace after losing to Spain
Steiner and Gutierrez show off their toned abs after winning the volleyball game against Egypt
‘I didn’t tell you to wear a hijab and you didn’t tell me to wear a bikini. No one can tell you how to dress,’ says Elghobashy
The hijab ban in football began in 2006, in basketball, it began in 2022, and in volleyball, in 2023.
‘The headscarf is a part of me,’ Elghobashy said
Elghobashy believes the hijab, which will be allowed in the athletes’ village, offers ‘freedom for everyone’ and hopes the focus will shift from what is worn to performance.
“I like to play in the hijab, not in a bikini,” she said, citing the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) rule changing the sign of ‘respect’.
‘For other girls, you might not like (it) – that’s OK for you. It was freedom, I felt comfortable and good.
‘The hijab is part of me. It’s not (like that) for everyone.’
It comes after French Olympic sprinter Sounkamba Sylla took to social media days before the 2024 Games began, saying she would not be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony because of her hijab.
“You were chosen for the Olympics, organized in your country, but you can’t participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a hijab,” Sylla wrote on her personal Instagram, according to The Associated Press.
Until the 2012 Olympics, female volleyball players were required to wear a bikini – with a bottom no longer than 7cm from top to bottom of the waist – or a one-piece swimming costume.
But the FIVB stepped in and announced its intention to open up the sport to players and change the rules to accommodate more athletes.
The hijab ban in French sports has been applied at all levels, including amateur and youth levels, even beyond the Olympics, according to Amnesty International.
There is no national law or policy banning the hijab in sports, but individual sports federations have their own regulations banning religious hijabs.
Football, basketball, and volleyball are just a few of the sports that have banned it.
The hijab ban in football began in 2006, in basketball, it began in 2022, and in volleyball, in 2023.
“We have noted for many years — (for) about 20 years — measures continue to be taken to limit the rights of Muslim women,” Blus said of France.
“There has definitely been an increase in these types of steps in various areas of life over the last 20 years,” he added.
