FR

I've been playing basketball for 17 years and today I'm prevented from playing because I'm wearing a sports headgear.

My name is Hélène, I'm 22 and I started playing basketball at the age of five, in a small club in the Paris region. Even as a little girl, I knew that I was going to have to fight to prove that I deserved my place on the court. But fifteen years later, I never thought I'd have to fight for the right to even set foot on the pitch. Because today, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) forbids me to play with my sports headgear, even though it complies with health and safety standards.

The FFBB is one of a number of sports associations that prohibit the wearing of accessories that cover the hair, which it describes as "accessories inappropriate for the game", even though the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has allowed it since 2017.  

It prohibits the wearing of "any equipment with religious or political connotations" (article 9.3) by players, referees, coaches and table staff in 3x3 and 5x5 competitions. This prohibition constitutes an attack on freedom of conscience and religion and on the principle of equal access to sport because, objectively, it is neither necessary, proportionate nor justified by a requirement of hygiene, safety or public order. 

Since the summer of 2022, I've been going to matches every weekend with a knot in my stomach, not knowing whether I'll be able to play. I have to give up my passion because I'm being forced to choose between my fundamental freedoms and playing sport. This season, I won't be able to take part in any official matches because referees are being forced to apply rules of which they disapprove. Hundreds of Muslim sportswomen who decide to wear their headgear suffer the same humiliation and invisibility every weekend. Clubs are losing members, teams are being forced to fold for lack of players, and the entire women's league is suffering the consequences. 

Faced with this injustice, it was vital that we all got involved: players, coaches, clubs and parents. A number of us have taken the floor at various general meetings to explain that the ban does not take account of the reality on the ground, to warn of the consequences of article 9.3 and, above all, to call for its abolition.

In June 2023, the Conseil d'Etat ruled that members of a sports federation were not subject to the principle of neutrality. This decision, following an appeal by the Hijabeuses, does not say that wearing a religious symbol is prohibited in sport. Rather, the Conseil d'Etat considers that the FFF is within its rights to restrict (religious) freedom if this is deemed necessary for the smooth running of the match. However, this does not correspond to the reality of basketball, where no incidents have been reported. We don't want counter-productive decisions that specifically and exclusively target Muslim women who wear head coverings, stigmatising and humiliating them and putting the brakes on women's participation. 

These rules are contrary to :

• the values of basketball and the FFBB's Ethics Charter, which enshrines the principles of free and equal access to sport without discrimination, tolerance, solidarity, fair play and the encouragement of women's participation ;
• article 100-1 of the French Sports Code, which guarantees equal access to sport for all, without discrimination of any kind; and
• the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and international instruments for the protection of fundamental rights.

We are asking the President of the French Basketball Federation, Jean-Pierre Siutat, the Vice-President of the FFBB, Jean-Pierre Hunckler, the Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, and the Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Bérangère Couillard, to listen to the voice of the licence-holders, to respect the values of the FFBB, and to take action against discrimination. e.s, to respect the values of basketball and sport and to actively fight against discrimination by demanding the repeal of article 9.3 of the rules. 

So, to professional and amateur basketball players at all levels, to sportsmen and sportswomen in all disciplines, to managers, employees and volunteers of associations, to the public, to people who just happen to be passing by: don't just stand there and say nothing. The fight for freedom and equality is everyone's fight.

We need your help to change things, to make basketball accessible to everyone and to promote the values of sport.

You can : 

• Sign and share this petition;
• Contact us at contact@basketpourtoutes.org
• Use the hashtag #BasketballForAll on social networks;
• Follow us on social networks: @basketpourtoutes
• Watch and broadcast our documentary "TITULAIRES":