Olympics: Dress politics in Spain Vs Egypt Beach Volleyball
Paris: When Spain defeated Egypt on straight sets of beach volleyball at Paris Olympics on Thursday, the debate in social media was not about the performance of the players, it was all about what they wore to the court. Hijab, the attire choice of the Cairo women, was a matter of serious debates across social media platforms, as it was in stark contrast to bikini worn by the Spanish players.
The match was a determining factor for the quarter-finals in the Olympic volleyball tournament. The pictures of the match went viral on the social media and the contrasting attires of the two teams, culturally and geographically distinct, became a topic of hot debate. Egyptian team comprised of Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy, while Fernandez Steiner Liliana and Soria Gutierrez Paula made up the Spanish team. When Spain defeated Egypt in the match, the netizens were all bothered about the players’ attires than the results. Egyptian players, wearing hijabs, long black-sleeved shirts, and black ankle-length leggings found themselves on the wrong end of the stick in the debate.
Commenting on X (formerly Twitter), a user made fun of the contrast as 'Baywatch vs Scuba divers', while another was worried about how hot the Egyptians players would feel in the hijab. Another user said that "Those Egyptian women have got to be at a disadvantage dressed like that". "Spain will be dressing like that in 20 years or sooner", alleged a user who called himself B, James. Many users also pointed out disadvantages on both forms of dresses. Freedom of choice was also highlighted in some comments. Jeannie Doran, another user, wrote that she didn't understand why the women, clad in bikini, are made to expose their buttocks, while the male players wore shorts.
Speaking earlier to the Swedish newspaper Expressen on France’s hijab ban for its athletes in the event, the Egyptian player Marwa Abdelhady had said that she didn’t like it. “I want to play in my hijab, she wants to play in a bikini - everything is okay, if you want to be naked or wear a hijab. Just respect all different cultures and religions”, she stated. Abdelhady said that she didn’t impose her choice of dress on anybody and no one should tell her to wear what she didn’t want to. “No one can tell me how to dress. It's a free country, everyone should be allowed to do what they want”, she added.
Amnesty International was one of the ten groups which opposed the French ban on hijab which it felt would discriminate against Muslim athletes. Anna Blus, the group's women rights researcher, stated that "Banning French athletes from competing with hijabs in the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first gender-neutral Olympics and exposes the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in France".
Helene Ba, co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All) spoke to BBC about the ban on the eve of Paris Olympics. Her group, which includes mostly young hijab-wearing French Muslim women who love basketball, is fighting against the ban on the Islamic attire in their game and all other sports in the country. She said that the ban had turned people like her into activism. Emphasizing how younger Muslim women in France lost all opportunities because they were unaware of being excluded from the mainstream, Ba said that many stopped playing sport altogether as they didn't have any alternative.
She urged all to speak against the discrimination and infringement on people's rights, when a rule targeted a minority group. She also warned that such discrimination could hit anyone anytime and stressed on the need for mutual support, across groups, in times of need. "We grew up without any role models and we will never have - if these rules stay in place - a French hijabi athlete representing the national team", Ba added.
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Israeli PM Netanyahu calls PM Modi; briefs on Gaza Peace Plan status
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday received a phone call from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, who shared an update on the Gaza Peace Plan and reaffirmed their shared resolve to fight terror.
"The two leaders warmly exchanged New Year greetings and wished the people of both countries peace and prosperity," a statement from the prime minister's office said.
It said Netanyahu briefed the prime minister on the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan.
"The Prime Minister reaffirmed India's consistent support for efforts towards a just and durable peace in the region," the statement said.
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Modi and Netanyahu identified shared priorities to further strengthen the India-Israel Strategic Partnership in the year ahead, guided by shared democratic values, deep mutual trust and a forward-looking vision.
"They reiterated their zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their commitment to fight this menace," the statement said.
Modi and Netanyahu also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to remain in touch.
In a post on X, Modi said they also reaffirmed their shared resolve to fight terrorism with greater determination.
"Glad to speak with my friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and convey New Year greetings to him and the people of Israel," Modi said.
"We discussed ways to further strengthen the India-Israel Strategic Partnership in the year ahead," he said.
