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Russian Foreign Ministry Slams Paris Olympics Ban on Athlete in Hijab as 'Segregation'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - France's decision to ban an athlete in hijab, a traditional Muslim headscarf, from the Paris Summer Olympics is a "blatant act of segregation," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
Sputnik
This comes a day after French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla said she was banned from the Olympic opening ceremony because she wore a hijab.
"Another blatant act of segregation took place in Paris yesterday... It was made clear that even prior to the Games, this sporting event had nothing in common with the purposes of the Olympic movement ... and in all regards contradicted the Olympic spirit," Zakharova said.
She compared the ban to discrimination faced by Russian and Belarusian athletes and journalists at the Games, adding that the "logic of cancellation" was now affecting French sportspeople.
"One more time [the West] violates the spirit of sports outside of politics. Contrary to claims of some French officials that they are striving for diversity and freedom of expression, those who disagree are demonstrably and ostentatiously sanctioned," Zakharova said.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that the Paris Olympics now had no reason to be seen as an open, fair or democratic sporting event.
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