French Frustration Over Possible Headscarf Ban

On the outskirts of Paris, 44-year-old French Muslim weightlifter Sylvie Eberena concentrates hard and pushes 80kg of bar and weights clean over her veiled head.

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PARIS - On the outskirts of Paris, 44-year-old French Muslim weightlifter Sylvie Eberena concentrates hard and pushes 80kg of bar and weights clean over her veiled head.

In 2024, the single mother made her four children proud by becoming the French national champion in her amateur category, a remarkable achievement after taking up the sport at the age of 40.

But now the Muslim convert fears she will no longer be able to compete as the French government is pushing for a new law to ban the headscarf in domestic sports competitions.

"It feels like they're trying to limit our freedoms each time a little more," said Eberena, a passionate athlete who trains five days a week.

"It's frustrating because all we want is to do sport."

Under France's secular system, civil servants, teachers, students and athletes representing France abroad cannot wear obvious religious symbols, such as a Christian cross, a Jewish kippah, a Sikh turban or a Muslim headscarf, also known as a hijab.