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Montreal: Muslim women who participate in competitions sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation will not be allowed to wear a hijab.
The decision came Monday following a request for a ruling from the Canadian Taekwondo Federation after two young Muslim girls were banned from a competition last month in Quebec.
The world federation indicated in a letter to the Canadian federation that it does not recognise any religion and would not make any accommodation for the head and body covering called hijabs.
Rule unchanged
The world federation is the sport's largest organisation and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
The rule, which forbids wearing anything under protective head gear, remains unchanged and will be in effect when the world championships begin on Friday in Beijing.
The competition is the first in a series to determine which athletes will compete in the Olympic summer games in Beijing in 2008.
The world federation also indicates in the letter the IOC agrees with its decision. The world federation is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and oversees world and Olympic taekwondo competitions.
The Canadian federation says it will accept the ruling while the Quebec Federation of Taekwondo says the ruling shows it was justified in applying the rule last month in Quebec.
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