00:00Members of the Egyptian women's beach volleyball team have strongly criticised France's hijab
00:05ban for athletes, following their participation in an Olympic beach volleyball match while
00:09wearing modest attire.
00:11Marwa Abdelhadi and Doa Elghobeshi represented Egypt at the Paris Olympics, dressed in hijabs,
00:17long-sleeved black shirts, and black ankle-length leggings during their match against Spain.
00:23Had they been competing for France, the duo would not have been permitted to wear their
00:26hijabs due to the country's ban on ostensible religious symbols in sports.
00:33Abdelhadi expressed her disapproval of the French hijab ban in an interview with CNN's
00:37Swedish affiliate, Expressen.
00:40Elghobeshi also shared her thoughts with Expressen, emphasising that athletes should have the
00:44freedom to wear what they choose, provided their cultural and religious beliefs are respected.
00:50Elghobeshi highlighted the importance of respecting diverse cultural and religious practices,
00:55stating, ''I want to play in my hijab, she wants to play in a bikini.
00:59Everything is OK, if you want to be naked or wear a hijab.
01:03Just respect all different cultures and religions.''
01:06She added, ''I don't tell you to wear a hijab and you don't tell me to wear a bikini.
01:11No one can tell me how to dress.
01:13It's a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want.''
01:17In January 2022, the French Senate enacted legislation banning the hijab and other religious
01:23symbols in sports competitions.
01:25This ban was confirmed to apply to French athletes in the Paris Olympics, as French
01:29sports minister Amélie Oudea Castro reiterated the country's commitment to a strict secular
01:34regime in sports.
01:37Elghobeshi made history in 2016 as the first athlete to play beach volleyball in a hijab
01:42at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, after receiving last-minute approval from the International
01:46Volleyball Federation, FIVB, to wear the head covering.
01:51Reflecting on her journey, Elghobeshi told CNN Sport last year, ''The hijab is part of
01:56me.''
01:57The issue of female athletes' uniforms has sparked controversy before.
02:01In 2021, double Paralympic world champion Olivia Breen was criticized by an official
02:07at the English Championships for her ''too short and inappropriate'' sprint briefs.
02:12That same year, Norway's women's beach handball team faced fines for wearing shorts instead
02:17of bikini briefs during a European Championship game in Bulgaria.
02:21Elghobeshi stressed that her athletic performance should be the focus, not her attire.
02:25''At the end of the day, it's a sport and I'm not a model.
02:29I'm an athlete and people should focus more on my athleticism rather than my clothes,''
02:33she stated.
02:34''Just because I'm a hijabi doesn't mean that I shouldn't have the opportunity to play at
02:38the Olympics.
02:39I did this, I achieved it.
02:41I deserved it.''
02:43Henrik Petersen contributed to this report, with previous reporting by CNN's Amy Woodyatt,
02:48Chris Lackas, Maya Zaniecki, Shara Talia Taylor, and Aaron Mathewson.
