Nike Releases Hijab for Muslim Athletes

NIKE has released its first sports hijab for Muslim athletes to wear while competing.

The sports manufacturing giant announced earlier this year it was working on bringing out a headscarf for female sports stars, The Sun wrote.

In plain black with the familiar white swoosh, the pull-on design and long back keeps the garment in place during activity.

Nike was inspired to make the Pro Hijab after hearing the plight of Amna Al Haddad back in 2015. The Olympic hopeful weightlifter from the UAE said she had just one hijab in which to compete. She said she needed a “reliable, breathable, fast-drying hijab for future competitions”.

Likewise, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad complained she sometimes had trouble hearing the referee while wearing a traditional hijab. That would lead to her being carded for false starting. “First, I’d get a warning and then a point against me. I can’t tell you how many times that happened,” she said. “And I’d tell the referee, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you’.”

Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari said: “It’s a reminder to us Muslim women that we can achieve anything in the world. “What Nike has done for Muslim athletes is a dream that we never thought would happen.”