France bans sportswomen from wearing hijabs. The BBC says that this is only a bad thing

'My heart is broken by France's Olympic hijab ban'

Konate came up as a rising star with the French national youth team, winning medals including silver in 3x3 basketball at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics - an experience she describes as the "best memory" of her career and something she dreamed of recreating at the Paris Olympic Games.

But she has mixed feelings about being back home - because she's banned from competing in France.

The reason? She wears a hijab.

Last year, when Konate came home for the summer break to play a 3x3 tournament, she discovered she wasn't allowed to step on court - due to a rule change made by the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) in 2022 which expressly bans any kit "with a religious or political connotation".

Sylla is keen to challenge "ignorant" mindsets, saying: "They think if you wear the hijab, you're just in the kitchen and doing nothing with your life.

"But I'm the example: I'm not just a Muslim, I'm not just a woman wearing the hijab - I'm an entrepreneur, I work in marketing, I have a masters degree, and I play basketball as well - so why are they putting me on the side?"

Over the three years since France's controversial "Islamist separatism" law was passed, it has gradually permeated aspects of French society, including competitive sports. The rule applies not only to players but also to coaches and referees - officially excluding anyone wearing a sports hijab from the competitive space altogether.

"Some of us are becoming activists because of this rule, but what I also want to emphasise is most of us are left without anything - especially younger Muslim women because they don't know why they're being excluded. They don't have any other alternative so some of them just stop playing sport altogether.

"Once a rule targets a minority group and creates discrimination and infringes on people's rights, it should be everyone's concern. And so today it's us - but tomorrow it may be you.

"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."

Then even more blah-blah-blah about how oppressive this is with absolutely no mention of the other side of the coin. Good work, BBC!