Basket Pour Toutes: Fighting against France’s sports and Olympics hijab ban
Al Jazeera
Ahead of Paris 2024, France’s secularism rule is forcing female Muslim basketball players to choose between faith and the game.
Paris, France – Diaba Konate was a rising star in French basketball.
Called up by the French Federation of Basketball (FFBB) at 17, she went on to play in the national youth teams in three major tournaments, reaching the finals of the U18 European Championship and the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, and winning a gold medal at the 2019 World Beach Games.
At the time, the sky was the limit.
She moved to the United States on a full scholarship to play with UC Irvine, surpassing 1,000 points in her collegiate career after scoring a season-high 20 against UC Santa Barbara in February 2023.
Now 24, Konate dreams of playing for France again, but it has become a trickier proposition.
