Amnesty International and 10 other right groups have signed a letter to the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to help overturn a ban on French athletes wearing the hijab saying the ban goes against the Olympic Charter.

“The hijab bans in sports have resulted in many Muslim athletes being discriminated against, excluded and humiliated, causing trauma and social isolation,” the letter continued.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in September that athletes would be free to wear a hijab in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games athletes’ village without any restriction.

However, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has barred French athletes wearing the hijab at the Games, saying they must respect the country’s strict separation of religion and state.

French citizens are free to express any religious customs and symbols, but it is stipulated that state and public institutions – the Olympics falling into that category – should be expressly free of them.

Though the stance has been criticised by some international bodies, however, the ban enjoys considerable support in France as it us seen as provocative.