French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla says she’s barred from the Olympic opening ceremony due to her hijab

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla says she has been barred from Friday’s opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics because she wears a hijab, and the French Olympic Committee said it is working with her to find a solution that adheres to the team’s secular requirements for athletes. Sylla, a 26-year-old member of France’s 400-meter women’s and mixed relay teams, shared her frustration on Instagram on Sunday. France has a strict secular principle of “laïcité”, loosely translated as “secularism.”