How do Muslim women dress for sports?

Stylist-image-maker, blogger, ballerina, owner of Body As sports studio

Muslim women often face problems when choosing sportswear. Since this fashion sphere is developed at the level of local brands, many do not understand where to order things of good quality that will not fail during training. I will tell you what rules you need to consider when choosing sportswear and what brands you should trust.

What rules should be observed when choosing sportswear?

The sports Muslim fashion industry in Russia is very poorly developed. There are small local brands that, in addition to dresses and hoodies, produce clothes for training, but most often women choose bulky things in chain stores.

Recently, there has been a trend among Muslim female athletes to open their own brands of workout clothes so that other women have the opportunity to engage in physical activity in a religiously observant manner.

Gulchachak: A Muslim woman must cover her entire body except for her hands and face. A woman cannot wear tights or other tight clothing to the gym, even if it covers her whole body. However, if we are talking about professional sports, it is uncomfortable and unsafe to compete in wide clothes.

Therefore, clothing for professional sports may be different from the uniform of an amateur. It is important for athletes to adhere to the rule – full hijab, and the degree of tightness each has the right to choose for herself, at the intersection of comfort, religious precepts and the rules of a particular sport.

How should you dress for competitions?

Researchers found low participation rates among Muslim schoolgirls in physical education classes. Girls are less likely to attend PE lessons and are generally less active in lessons.

This is more pronounced in Western countries, where school policies regarding dress code and interaction with the opposite sex often conflict with the conservative values of Muslim students. For example, Muslim women may be forced to remove their head coverings to participate in sporting events.

Female athletes have previously encountered problems in professional settings as well. A good example is the conflict between Muslim basketball players and the International Basketball Federation, FIBA.

Unlike many other sports associations, FIBA banned any headwear wider than five inches, effectively vetoing hijabs.

The rule was repealed in 2017 after a social media backlash and criticism from the NCAA’s National Collegiate Athletic Association, led by basketball players Indira Calho and Bilqis Abdul-Qadir. FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, had also previously banned players from wearing hijabs or any other headwear, but the ban was lifted in 2014.

The first sports brand to launch a capsule for Muslim women was Nike. The concept began in 2016 with female athletes from Muslim countries – Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari, Egyptian athlete Manal Rost and UAE weightlifter Amna Al Haddad.

They tested the Nike Pro Hijab by adding alternative variations of tunics, long sweatshirts and pants. The collection is made from a special mesh material that is easier to perform in competitions and allows the material to breathe, wick sweat away from the skin and block UV rays.

Which brands are creating sportswear for Muslim women?

We hope that in time the problem with sportswear for Muslim women will disappear, but in the meantime you can order uniforms through online stores.

Stylist Gulchachak Garayeva recommends such brands:

Gafurzyanova Store

A Russian start-up brand from fencer Diana Gafurzyanova, whose sister Kamilla is a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the same sport.

Diana set up store based on her pain. Since she is a covered Muslim, it was very difficult to find decent sports professional clothing on the market. Now fencers can pick up uniforms at her online store.

The Giving Movement

The Giving Movement is a UAE-based brand that produces sports style clothing made from recycled plastic. Covered girls and socialites alike can pick up their workout uniforms.

Nike

Nike has a capsule for covered girls – the Hijab Nike. Seeing how active Muslim girls have started showing up, they decided to support them with their covered clothing and swim burkinis.

SAHARA Wear

SAHARA is a Russian casual wear brand. In the collection of the brand you can also find those closet items that are suitable for amateur sports.

Al Sofia

The brand specializes in the production of clothing for swimming – burkini. Designers take a responsible approach to the choice of fabrics that protect the body even at temperatures of 50+.

The collection also includes items made of recycled materials, which is relevant in the current environmental situation.