France’s Hijab Ban in Sports Leaves Muslim Athletes in Limbo

France is inching closer to a nationwide ban on religious symbols—including hijabs—in all domestic sports competitions, leading to widespread concern among female Muslim athletes.

The proposed law, which passed the Senate earlier this year, would apply to both amateur and professional athletes, and if it clears the final vote in the National Assembly, athletes may be forced to choose between their sport and their beliefs.

According to current policies, it’s up to individual sports federations in France to decide what athletes can or can’t wear. Some allow religious attire while others don’t, but the new law would cut through that patchwork, imposing a blanket rule against “conspicuous religious symbols” across the board. Crosses, turbans, kippahs—everything would fall under the ban, but in practice, critics say, it’s hijab-wearing Muslim women who are being singled out for their religious expression.

France’s government continues to maintain that the ban on the hijab in sports was introduced to protect France’s secular tradition, and supporters of the bill claim it’s a necessary step to maintain neutrality in public spaces and guard against extremism. Opponents, however, see it as another step in a long-running pattern of exclusion.

“This is about visibility,” said legal scholar Rim-Sarah Alouane. “Secularism was meant to keep the state neutral—not to police people’s beliefs, especially not in sports.”

France’s strict version of secularism—laïcité—dates back more than a century. It’s meant to keep religion out of state affairs. But over the years, it’s become a lightning rod, especially when it comes to Islam: hijab bans in public schools, headscarf restrictions for public employees, and now, sports.

With a final vote expected soon, the future of many hijab-wearing athletes in France is uncertain. Some might stop competing, while others may walk away entirely. But many are speaking out—not just to defend their right to play, but to remind people what sport is supposed to be about.