France has been slammed with criticism for banning the Islamic headscarf known as the hijab from being worn by any of their female athletes, with international bodies such as the International Olympic Committee, Amnesty International and a number of United Nations human rights activists criticizing the move harshly.

Amnesty International called the ban on Tuesday “discriminatory hypocrisy” by French officials and “craven weakness” by the IOC. It also reported that out of 38 European countries, France is the only one which bans religious headwear in either legislative or sports settings.

Although the Olympics begin on July 26 till Aug 11, French Minister of Sports Amelie Oudea-Castera announced the ban last September.

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