Sylvie Eberena has built her life around sport. A national champion in her category in Olympic weightlifting, she trains five times a week and competes internationally. But now, she fears her athletic career might come to an abrupt halt.
A draft law banning the veil in sporting competitions is expected to be voted in at the National Assembly. Supported by President Emmanuel Macron, it was adopted by the Senate in February and would effectively bar Ms Eberena from competing in official events.
Speaking to The National in a gym near her home, 60km north-west of Paris, Ms Eberena, 44, said the legislation reflects a broader attempt to sideline Muslim women from public life.
“They want to erase us, because if people see us they're going to say 'there's no problem',” she said. “If there is a ban, then I will keep practising my sport but I will not be able to show all my progress on the competition floor.”
Ms Eberena, now one of France's most outspoken critics of the law, converted to Islam in 1999 while studying business. At the time, France had not yet implemented its ban on veils in state schools.
“My personal journey is very simple. I became a Muslim at 19 on my own,” she said. “I'm the same person. I still love the same things. I still hate the same things. I just have one thing more that I wear.”
Supporters of the bill claim it protects secularism and guards against extremism in grass roots sport. But critics, including human rights groups, argue it discriminates against Muslim women and restricts their right to freedom of religion, health and access to sports.
weightlifting champion
France does not collect official data on religion, making it difficult to know how many athletes would be affected. But rights advocates said the ban will discourage hijab-wearing women from participating in sports altogether.
Personal choice
While legislators cited concerns about “radicalisation” in sport in their justification, a year-long 2022 study commissioned by the Sports Ministry contradicted claims that Islamist extremists are prevalent in grass roots sport.
The veil has been the subject of repeated restrictions in France and tension intensified when the country barred female athletes from wearing it at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Though Ms Eberena initially encountered little resistance wearing the veil in the corporate world, she now views her earlier optimism as “naive”.
Focusing on the hijab, she said, has become a way for politicians to avoid discussing deeper economic and social problems. “As Muslim women wearing the hijab, we are used to this obsession from French governments,” she said.
After a divorce, Ms Eberena returned to sports – a childhood passion rekindled through CrossFit and weightlifting. Today, she coaches others and shares her love for fitness with her 14-year-old daughter – one of her four children – who has also chosen to wear the hijab. But rising Islamophobia worries her, especially after a fatal stabbing at a mosque in southern France in April.
Ms Eberena insists her veil is a personal choice and not imposed by male relatives – a stereotype she says is all too common. “Sorry I forgot to be oppressed,” she recently quipped in an Instagram post to her 44,000 followers, overlaid on a video of her training.
Yet motivation has become harder to maintain since the Senate approved the bill. Shortly afterwards, she addressed the law publicly. “Will we be banned from breathing soon?” she asked. While she posts mostly about fitness and health, she also raises funds for humanitarian causes linked to Palestine.
Amnesty International
In a speech at the Senate, France's Delegate Minister for Gender Equality and Fight against Discriminations, Aurore Berge, defended the law, saying it did not stop women from taking part in sports.
Defence of secularism
Rather, “it is those who impose on women to have a different outfit from sportswear who do it”, she said, in an apparent reference to the veil. “Freedom is secularism. Secularism is emancipation, in particular the emancipation of women.”
The ripple effects are already being felt. This year, Ms Eberena said her image was removed from podium photos shared by her sports federation. A community manager reportedly cited political pressure.
Though The National has been unable to verify her claims, it mirrors incidents documented by Amnesty International. The organisation has warned secularism is being used “as a pretext to block Muslim women’s access to public spaces in France”.
“So, I compete. I'm a performer. I have results and I'm not allowed to appear in pictures,” Ms Eberana said.
Monica Costa Riba, senior campaigner for women's rights at Amnesty International, told The National there is a pattern of “demonisation of Muslim communities and disregard of Muslim women and girls.”
“It's linked to high levels of Islamophobia and a toxic narrative put out by certain politicians telling Muslim women what they should and should not wear,” she said. “It's very common in France.”
Questioning Macron
The issue gained national prominence in May when Mr Macron was asked about it during a live prime-time TV interview. The question came from Ms Eberena herself. In a video, she warned the law would isolate women who wear the hijab.
The French President said he supports banning the veil in competitions, in line with the Olympic Charter, but added that “pragmatism” was needed at federation level – in effect leaving room for them to choose.
Yet several federations, including football, basketball and volleyball, have already introduced a ban. Amnesty International has documented cases of clubs losing public funding when trying to push back.
Also, arguing that the Olympic Charter bans the veil is hotly contested. While the charter prohibits religious propaganda, it also forbids religious discrimination. France was the only European country to ban the veil at the Olympics last year.
In a letter to Amnesty, the International Olympic Committee said while the Olympic Charter states that religious discrimination is banned, athletes also act within their national context, and France considers its elite athletes to be civil servants that must respect the principles of secularism and neutrality.
In his answer, Mr Macron “was trying to evade the issue”, Ms Eberena said. She remains committed to speaking out and says people see her as someone who is talking for other women who are Muslim or wear the hijab. “That's the reason I'll keep doing it.”
