Wearing the veil in sport: Emmanuel Macron confirms the government's position against religious symbols in sports competitions
On Tuesday, the President of the Republic said he supported the Olympic Charter, which prohibits the wearing of any religious symbols in sporting competitions, confirming the government's position.
His position is clear. Emmanuel Macron spoke out on Tuesday, May 13, against the wearing of religious symbols , such as the veil, in sports competitions, but he judged that, for non-competitive sports, it was up to the sports federations "to decide" . "I am in favor of the Olympic charter which prohibits the wearing of any religious symbol in competitions," affirmed the President of the Republic in an interview on TF1 , also invoking "equality between women and men."
In the practice of sport outside of competition, "it is up to the (sports) federations to decide, " he added. "In (sports) infrastructure, to go and train and initiate, pragmatism is required and our law does not prevent it [the wearing of religious symbols] ."
🔴 Emmanuel Macron against the wearing of religious symbols in sports competitions🗣️ "I am in favor of the Olympic charter which prohibits all wearing of religious symbols in competitions" declares the Head of State
▶️ Emmanuel Macron - The challenges facing France pic.twitter.com/Y8WjClIXxx
The president was questioned on the subject by weightlifter Sylvie Eberana, national amateur champion in her category in 2024. A Muslim who wears the veil, she said she feared she would no longer be able to compete, while a LR bill banning religious symbols during competitions, including amateur sports, was passed in February in the Senate . The text, which must now be examined in the National Assembly, has caused cacophony within the government, leading Prime Minister François Bayrou to bring together several ministers in mid-March to try to put an end to the dissonance.
This text was also the occasion for a skirmish between the judoka Teddy Riner, who considered that France was "wasting its time" on these issues and that it was better to "think equality" rather than "hounding one and the same religion", and the former boxer Iranian-born Mahyar Monshipour , who sharply reprimanded him, saying: "When you don't know, don't get involved" , stating that the veil is a "shroud" and the "visible sign of inequality between men and women" .
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