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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent

UN criticises France’s ban on its Olympic athletes wearing headscarves

French basketball player Salimata Sylla wearing a headscarf
France’s ministry for sport says the ban is in line with the ‘public service mission’ of French athletes to not express religious beliefs. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The UN has weighed in on France’s debate about secularism and women’s clothing, saying women should not be forced to abide by dress codes, after the French government said athletes representing France would be barred from wearing headscarves during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear, or not wear,” Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, said on Tuesday after she was asked whether the ban met the UN’s criteria on human rights.

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