French sprinter will wear a cap during Olympic opening ceremony after hijab dispute is resolved

PARIS (AP) — 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.

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.

“We finally reached an agreement so that I could take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” the 26-year-old Sylla said. “I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your mobilization and support since the beginning.”

A similar solution was found during the European Championships in Rome earlier this year. Sylla, who has competed with a black headscarf at several previous events, was asked to compete with a blue cap that had a sewn-on strip of fabric to cover her hair.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games