In France, which has adopted secularism since 1905, public employees cannot wear religious symbols such as "headscarves and large cross necklaces" due to the lie of "neutrality".
The same ban has also been valid for students in public schools, excluding universities, since 2004.
In recent years, this ban has started to be applied to athletes, causing controversy.
While some in the country want athletes to be banned from wearing religious symbols in sports competitions, the other segment argues that this ban will deprive Muslim women, especially, of sports.
26-year-old French headscarved basketball player Salimata Sylla, nicknamed "Sali", who has been banned from official competitions in her country since January because of her headscarf, is also among those who have raised her voice against the ban.
Evaluating the headscarf ban for French athletes in the Olympic Games to the AA correspondent, Sylla stated that he was "not too surprised" by the Minister of Sports' announcement that the headscarf would be banned for French athletes in the Olympics.
Sylla explained that female athletes cannot play in competitions at all levels while wearing sports headscarves.
Sylla said, "They didn't want us to play from the beginning," and expressed his sadness at the statement of Sports Minister Oudea-Castera.
Pointing out that the Olympic games are the most anticipated sports event in the world, Sylla said, "Perhaps it is an event that we will not see again in France."
Reminding that the Olympic Games were held in France a century ago, Sylla said, "France does not want us to benefit from this sports event in any way."
Parisian Sylla commented, "As a visibly Muslim young woman, it is very sad to see us being excluded. To see that we were born in a country that does not want us is as sad as it is humiliating."
Sylla noted that "visible Muslim women" have not been able to play the sport they love for years.