Indian shooter Heena Sidhu refuses to wear ‘hijab’, pulls out of Asian shooting championship in Iran

New Delhi, October 30, 2016: Heena Sidhu, the Indian pistol shooter has pulled out of the Asian Airgun Shooting Championship due to the compulsory hijab rule in Iran for all women athletes.

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"Sport is an exhibition of sheer Human Effort Performance. Our ability to dig deep for Strength, Will Power and Determination."

"This is d reason I compete n I cannot compete for anything lesser than this. But I wud also not have my personal opinion politicised," Sidhu wrote on her twitter handle.

The former world number one shooter thinks, forcing athletes to wear hijab is against the spirit of any sport.

The championship is to be held in December, in Iran's capital Tehran.
The two-time Olympian had written about her decision to withdraw from the competition to the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

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"I thank the NRAI for respecting my views n I wud also like 2wish luck 2 r team competing in Iran. Lets concentrate on competition dan hijab."

She further added, "Im proud 2 b sportsperson coz ppl from diff cultures, backgrouds, sexes, ideologies, religion can cum 2gether n compete without biases.

"Im not a revolutionary. But I feel dat making it mandatory for even a sportsperson to wear hijab is not in the spirit of a Sport."

The organizers of the championship made it clear on their official website that it is mandatory for the female contestants to wear clothes in compliance with the rules of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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This is not her first time; two years she did the same and decided not to go to Iran for similar reasons. As no other nation insists such codes except Iran.

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by NewsGram team with PTI inputs