Egypt's Olympic volleyball duo compete fully clothed in Paris - and condemn hijab ban for French athletes

Egypt's Olympic volleyball duo defiantly competed fully-clothed successful nan Paris crippled earlier slamming nan county's hijab prohibition for French athletes.

Images of Egyptian athletes Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy sporting an each backmost outfit and hijab, playing against bikini-clad Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Paula Soria Gutierrez of Spain person gone viral for their stark opposition successful title gear.

Following Egypt's 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Spain, nan brace were seen embracing successful their long-sleeve top, leggings, and headscarf while nan Spanish duo celebrated their triumph successful a tight reddish bikini and matching sun visor.

The bold move comes aft France banned their squad members from wearing hijabs, pinch nan country's sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera, saying nan move was made to thief respect principles of secularism.

But contempt this, Abdelhady and Elghobashy took to nan volleyball tribunal successful their belief head-covering and later condemned nan ban.

'I want to play successful my hijab, she wants to play successful a bikini - everything is okay, if you want to beryllium naked aliases deterioration a hijab. Just respect each different cultures and religions,' Elghobashy told Expressen.

'I don't show you to deterioration a hijab and you don't show maine to deterioration a bikini. No 1 tin show maine really to dress. 

'It's a free country, everyone should beryllium allowed to do what they want'.   

Amnesty International and 10 different groups wrote to nan International Olympic Committee successful June asking for nan prohibition to beryllium overturned, informing that it causes Muslim athletes to beryllium 'discriminated against'.

'Women and girls successful France who deterioration nan hijab person been and are being prevented from playing aggregate sports including football, basketball, judo, boxing, volleyball and badminton -- moreover astatine younker and amateur levels,' nan missive said. 

'The hijab bans successful sports person resulted successful galore Muslim athletes being discriminated against, invisibilised, excluded and humiliated, causing trauma and societal isolation -- immoderate person near aliases are considering leaving nan state to activity playing opportunities elsewhere.

The quality authorities organisation past slammed nan Olympic Games big federation aft nan prohibition was not lifted.

'Banning French athletes from competing pinch hijabs successful nan Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a insult of claims that Paris 2024 is nan first gender-neutral Olympics and exposes nan racist gender favoritism that underpins entree to athletics successful France,' said Anna Błus, Amnesty International's interrogator successful women's authorities successful Europe. 

Elghobashy believes allowing hijabs, which will beryllium permitted successful nan athletes' village, offers 'freedom for everyone' and hopes nan attraction will beryllium shifted from what they are wearing to their performance.

'I emotion playing successful a hijab, not pinch a bikini,' she said, calling nan International Federation of Volleyball's (FIVB) norm alteration a motion of 'respect'.

'For different girl, you mightiness not for illustration [it] – it's OK for you. It's freedom, I felt comfortable and good.

'The hijab is simply a portion of me. It's not [that way] for everyone.'

It comes aft French Olympic sprinter Sounkamba Sylla took to societal media days earlier nan 2024  Games began, saying she would not beryllium allowed to participate successful nan opening ceremonial because of her hijab.

'You are selected for nan Olympics, organised successful your country, but you can't participate successful nan opening ceremonial because you deterioration a headscarf,' Sylla wrote connected her backstage Instagram, according to The Associated Press.

Up until nan 2012 Olympics, female volleyball players were obliged to deterioration bikinis - pinch nan little portion nary much than 7cm from apical to bottommost astatine nan hep - aliases a one-piece swimming costume.

But nan FIVB swooped successful and revealed its purpose of opening up nan athletics to players and shifting nan rules to accommodate much athletes.

Bans connected wearing a hijab successful French sports person been applied astatine each levels, including amateur and younker levels, moreover stretching beyond nan Olympics, according to Amnesty International.

There is nary nationalist rule aliases argumentation banning hijabs successful sports, but individual sports federations person their ain regulations prohibiting nan belief headscarf.

Football, basketball, and volleyball are conscionable immoderate of nan sports banning them.

A prohibition against wearing nan hijab successful shot was introduced successful 2006, successful basketball, it began successful 2022, and successful volleyball, successful 2023.

'We person documented complete nan years -- [for] astir 20 years -- measures are being introduced perpetually to limit Muslim women's rights,' Blus said of France.

'There's decidedly been an summation successful these types of measures successful different areas of life complete nan past 20 years,' she added.