There’s a reason that athletes, for the most part, participate in their sporting events half-naked or scantily clad. They’re raising the body’s heart rate and temperature, and they have a need to be as cool as possible while they’re throwing punches or chasing down balls on the tennis court. They are competing in athletic events, which dehydrate the body and demand a certain level of physical endurance. They have a need to allow the body to sweat and to cool down as rapidly as possible to avoid being overheated.

Cooling points in the body are the back of the neck, the temples, wrists, ankles, forehead, and other areas such as the inner thighs. Wearing a hijab during any sporting activity is to prevent the body from cooling down in an appropriate manner in relation to the energy being expended, because it prevents the body from cooling down by trapping the heat at vital areas in the body. This is dangerous for the wearer. It leads to overheating and dehydration. No one can effectively compete in sports with a full head covering. The hijab does not stand alone. An athlete is not wearing a hijab on top of a bikini; it’s generally worn with a full body covering which does not allow for a sufficient cooling of the body during physical exercise, and this puts the wearer at a disadvantage.

Fencing is one discipline where face masks are worn, but at every point scored, or foul, the masks are removed and the participants take deep breaths and cool down. Sparring, in boxing, sees people wear headgear that protects them during practice (not actual competition), and so they can wear the headgear for as little or as long a time period as they like. But this headgear protects the temples and ears so that brain damage and a knockout is prevented. The neck is still visible and is still a cooling down point. With UFC fighters, weight cutting sees them, too, being dehydrated and capable of being knocked out by the lightest of punches, because the brain isn’t functioning properly due to the lack of water in the body. This is what results from wearing a hijab during any sporting event – the performance of the wearer is worse than it otherwise would have been, due to the body’s inability to cool down in an appropriate manner, and a loss of moisture.

Nike are endorsing this, and as a major sports manufacturer they should be aware of the dangers and the folly of putting out a sports hijab. When the body becomes overheated, there is the risk of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. This results in lowered blood pressure and a heart that is having to work harder than normal in order to carry blood to the appropriate parts of the body. Sports companies should be ensuring optimal safety for their wearers, and providing them with outfits that are capable of allowing an athlete to compete at his or her maximum performance level. The Nike hijab is just a bad idea that attempts to accommodate Muslimas’ desires to engage in sporting events. The better route for Nike to take would be to educate Muslims as to what happens to the body during times of strenuous physical activity.