In the context of the current prevalence of sporting competitions, the issue of inclusiveness is becoming an increasingly pertinent concern. The relationship between sport and religion can be complex, depending on the region and the social, cultural, or institutional context. The fusion of physical talent and divine worship dates back to ancient civilisations, including the birth of the Olympic Games among the Greeks. This is also the case for many indigenous communities, who often incorporate religious rituals to connect sport and the spiritual realm in some way. In what follows, we use concrete examples to explore the dynamics of sport and religion, examining the divergences around the issue of cohabitation between the two and their potential within contemporary society.
While human rights state that people are free to practise their religion as they wish, in the world of sports opinions differ. While some players embrace the possibility of a perfect cohabitation, others do not hesitate to draw a line in the sand. As Eric Borghini, a member of the executive committee of the French Football Federation (FFF), points out, “There is a time to play sport and a time to practise your religion”. While this ideological ‘war’ is increasingly echoed around the world in the context of various international sporting competitions, it is important to remember that there have been rumblings for several decades. In 1965, Sandy Koufax, the famous baseball player, refused to take part in an important match for his team out of respect for Yom Kippur, a holy day in the Jewish calendar. The same was true of British Olympic champion Jonathan Edwards, who was unable to take part in the 1991 World Championships because of his Christian convictions. The same could be said of Eli Herring, a player in the National Football League (NFL) who was prepared to close the door on any team that did not allow him to observe the Sabbath in accordance with his faith.
In recent years, this discord has been growing, and the consequences are becoming more and more serious. The organisation of international and national sporting competitions such as the Olympic Games, the football World Cup, various local championships, etc. has given rise to controversy relating to which religious attitudes are permitted and which are not.
Wearing the hijab in sport
Recently, as part of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on October 24, French athlete Sounkamba Sylla was banned from wearing the headscarf she had been using during the previous European Athletics Championships. While the French Minister for Sport, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, has aligned herself with this decision out of respect for the “principle of neutrality”, Amnesty International has distanced itself from the decision, stating that: “The French authorities have demonstrated assertively that their efforts to improve gender equality and inclusiveness in sport do not apply to one category of women and girls, namely Muslim women and girls who wear religious head coverings”, in a report published on July 16 . In addition to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the ban on wearing the hijab is also the subject of Article 1 of the FFF, which states that the FFF is opposed to “the wearing of any sign or dress ostensibly expressing a political, philosophical, religious or trade union affiliation”. For their part, the French political class has not hesitated to get involved, notably through tweets, to the point of suggesting a law on secularism in sport. French MP Marine Le Pen tweeted that “The hijab in sport is a NO! And we will pass a law to enforce it” (Photo 1). .
Such views see sport and religion as opposites. In our view, this seems to dismiss the constructive relationship that can exist between the two dynamics. Alongside these radical positions on the hijab in sport, many of the key players within the major sporting goods brands have used their voices over the last decade to break down the practical barriers that can exist between exercise and religion. As weightlifter Amna Al Haddad from the United Arab Emirates explained on Pro Hijab Nike products, sports must be inclusive for all, and athletes should not have to choose between what to wear and pursuing sports.
Managing the month of Ramadan in sport
The observance of the month of Ramadan is creating a huge amount of discord in the world of sports, and football in particular. Here, two major questions arise: Should there be a break during matches to allow Muslims to break the fast? Because of the energy demands involved in practising sport, should sportsmen and women be prevented from breaking fast during this holy month? The answers to the first question vary from country to country. Let’s take the example of four of the best and most famous football leagues in the world: France, England, Holland and Germany. In France, the answer is a firm “NO”, in accordance with the principle of secularism. In England and Holland, a break is officially accepted for the occasion. In Germany, although there is no official decision on the matter, the players in a match are nevertheless free to observe a break or not. The answer to the second question is often specific to each sportsperson or their direct employer. For British rower Mohamed Sbihi, gold medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, there is no question of ignoring the month of fasting. He defends himself by pointing out that he set his personal best during a competition that coincided with the fasting period. Sometimes the management of this holy month can lead to conflict. During the 2021-2022 football season, a major controversy of this kind erupted within Nice’s professional team. According to local newspapers, Christophe Galtier, the team’s coach at the time, objected to the observance of Ramadan by some of the team’s players, creating a conflict. As a result, the team — which until then had been performing well — suffered a slump, with the coach leaving at the end of the season and even appearing in court on the charge of “discrimination”.
Sexual orientation and alcohol at the heart of the religion and sport divide
The stance taken by sportsmen and women on homosexuality is a highly sensitive subject. Indeed, sporting events are sometimes the ideal channels for promoting certain values, regardless of the opinions of the players involved. During the 2021-2022 football season, several players from the French football league, including Idrissa Gueye, Donatien Gomis and Mostafa Mohamed, refused to take part in a match that required them to wear a shirt with a rainbow insignia to mark the day against homophobia. Far from being regarded as an opinion, this was interpreted as an offence, to the point where the French football authorities demanded an explanation. For Idrissa Gueye in particular, this attitude created a rift with his club and was one of the reasons for his departure at the end of that season. Then, during the 2022 World Cup in the Muslim country of Qatar, the captains of the national teams of England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Wales and Switzerland were forced to abandon their plan to wear One Love armbands in support of the LGBTQ community, under penalty of punishment. On another note, the consumption of alcohol, and public displays of affection, were also forbidden during this World Cup in accordance with the religious convictions present in this country.
Sport in Muslim countries
The integration of certain Muslim religious practices within the domain of sport gives rise to significant challenges, particularly in relation to the participation of women. In an interview with The Conversation, Chuka Onwumechili, author of the book Women’s Football in Africa, states that “in most Muslim countries in the world, girls and women are not allowed to play football because sportswear exposes their legs and hair and they become a focal point for the male gaze”. In extreme cases, human life is at stake and exile is the only way out. With the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan and imposing Sharia law, practising sport there is now a highly sensitive activity. The case of Afghan athlete Zakia Khudadadi, who was unable to take part in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games, is a case in point. In a video, she said she felt “imprisoned” and would not risk going out to train. In an interview, Khalida Popal, the founder of the first Afghan national football team in 2007 and a refugee in Denmark since 2016, claims to have received death threats and explains that most of the former members of the team are now living in hiding. Instead of hosting football matches in the various stadiums built for the purpose, the Taliban use them to show floggings and executions. Their power since the botched departure of the West from Afghanistan does not suggest that things will get any better.
Sport and fetishism
In Africa in particular, beliefs in divine or supernatural powers play an important role in sports. For example, many African athletes and sports teams believe strongly in fetishism, to the point where it can be an integral part of the hygiene of the athlete or the team’s technical staff. It can take the form of incantations, various buried objects, magic necklaces, special massages, and so on. A report by Radio France International (RFI) in 2012 sheds light on this practice in South Africa. We learn that football teams recruit healers capable of prescribing ‘medicines’ to weaken their opponents. This may involve stealing the jersey of the opposing team’s leading goal scorer and burning it, or discreetly sprinkling powder on players to leave them out of breath.
In 2015 a former coach of the Congo-Brazzaville national team told Jeune Afrique magazine that the players in his team are “almost all very religious” and that “fetishism is still quite prevalent”. Kamel Djabour, also a former coach of the Congo-Brazzaville team, confirms that some players “hide small fetish objects in their shorts, socks, and shoes before taking to the field”.
Some former sportsmen are also making revelations. Writing in the magazine L’EXPRESS, a former striker for ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire’s leading club) looked back at a national cup final in 1967: “The night before, the directors came to the dormitory with a fetishist. They had us all in just our pants for some special preparation”. This is also the case of Taribo West, a former Nigerian international, and gold medallist at the 1996 Olympic Games, as well as a former player at football clubs such as Inter Milan and AC Milan. In comments relayed by Afrik Sport, he confirmed that “at certain clubs, before each match, the president gives you a lucky charm to play with. They tell you to put it in your shoes or socks. Some coaches call on African sorcerers and fortune-tellers from Senegal, Burkina Faso, Congo and even Nigeria”.
These examples, and many others, show the almost inevitable intersection between religious beliefs, cultural practices, and social practices on the one hand and sports on the other, making it hard to imagine a world in which religion and sport do not meet. It is, therefore, highly likely that such divergences will grow to the point where more radical attitudes and movements will emerge. A cohabitation governed by a consensus between all parties is the ideal option to prevent this crisis in the making. The coexistence of the two dynamics – sport and religious beliefs (but also social practices) – shows that it is possible for both to operate harmoniously, insofar as their purpose is physical fulfilment and expression on the one hand and spiritual devotion on the other. For the ‘radicalists’, this would mean seeing sport as a pure and simple way of growing spiritually through moral values and ethical conduct aimed at community cohesion.