At an international competition in Oldenburg, a 16-year-old karate fighter from Leer received zero points for her demonstration of martial arts. The reason given was illegal wearing of a hat.
The Islamic state association Schura Lower Saxony then practiced clear criticism of the organizer, the “International Budo Federation Germany”. The referee’s behavior was “discriminatory and humiliating”. The association rejected the allegation.
The Islam Association said at the weekend in Hanover that the “exclusive behavior” of the federal referee was incomprehensible. The association chairman Recep Bilgen referred to the martial art Taekwondo, in which women are allowed to wear a headgear. A taekwondo fighter with a headscarf has already won several European competitions.
And it can also be worn in boxing. The German champion 2018 Zeina Nassar also wears a headscarf.
The decision also does not fit in with the current efforts of the German Olympic Sports Confederation to integrate migrant women into sports clubs. Bilgen appealed to the Budo Federation to change the dress code for competitions.
The “Budo Federation”, on the other hand, emphasized: “The competition regulations have been known for many years, and the tournament announcement was also known months in advance.” Secretary General Andreas von der Haar told the Evangelical Press Service (epd) that there were traditional reasons for the demonstration of the forms of combat A strict dress code for all participants.
In the subsequent fight discipline, the 16-year-old could have competed with head protection, which is mandatory for safety reasons. However, she did not take part in this second competition.
