Being a sportsperson takes more than just talent, for grit and determination play equal roles in keeping alive the competitive spirit. After subjecting your body to months of rigorous training, sacrifices and stringent diets, it must feel terrible not to participate in the very tournament you’ve worked so hard for.
That’s what chess player Soumya Swaminathan had to do when she found herself at odds with a law in Iran that requires all women to cover their heads in public spaces. Soumya pulled out of the Asian Team Chess Championship, which is to be held in Iran between July 26 and August 4 because of the enforced religious dress code.
In a Facebook post, the chess champion made her grievance clear. She said, “I find the Iranian law of compulsory headscarf to be in direct violation of my basic human rights including my right to freedom of expression, and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It seems that under the personal circumstances, the only way for me to protect my rights is to not go to Iran (sic).”
While Soumya did receive much support for her bold stand, she isn’t the first player to have pulled out of a sports tournament because of this reason. Two years back, Indian pistol shooter, Heena Sidhu pulled out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championship in Iran because she felt that it was not right for a sportsperson to be compelled to wear the hijab.
The ace shooter is of the view that in sports, there is no room for religious or any other kind of markers. Retired Indian track and field athlete P.T. Usha, however, feels that it isn’t inappropriate for a country to insist upon such a code. She says, “In today’s world, nations are sovereign and independent. So, they can insist that players follow a certain dress code. It’s up to the athletes to decide whether they want to follow the code or not.
If you’re okay with it, participate. If not, don’t.” Sneha Sharma, a pilot who also competes in the Formula 4 national racing championship, shares says, “There are certain laws of the state that you need to abide by if you’re going to a country. Also, what will you lose by wearing a headscarf?”
In the past couple of years, an increasing number of sporting associations around the world have tweaked their regulations to allow for the wearing of the hijab while competing in a match. Let’s not forget, Ibtihaj Muhammad, who became the first woman athlete to wear a hijab during the Rio Olympics 2016. Sports writer and columnist Ayaz Memon says, “It took Saudi Arabia 17 or 18 years to send a woman athlete to the Olympics.
You can either focus on fighting the cause or on getting the tournament going. Why should you have a situation where some athletes don’t want to participate? That is unfortunate. The Federation’s interest should be in maximum participation.”
