Cross Country runner disqualified for competing with hijab

A member of the Sylvania Northview Cross Country team was disqualified from a district meet because her hijab was deemed in violation of the league's uniform policy.

"I felt embarrassed that I'd just ran this whole race and everyone on the sidelines knew that I was disqualified except for myself and the people I was running," Noor-Alex Abukaram said. "I felt like I'd been punched...like I got hit really hard"

According to a representative from the Ohio High School Athletic Association, runners are allowed to run with a hijab, but they must have a waiver from OSHAA granting permission, something the runner in question did not have.

In a statement to 13abc, the representative says, "Neither the runner, nor the coach, nor the school had submitted the waiver yet. The official was simply enforcing the rule. The school has now submitted the waiver, so the runner can run this weekend at regionals while wearing a hijab. We are also looking into her previous races to see why the officials let her run without a waiver in the events leading up to the district meet."

A representative from Sylvania Schools, in a statement to 13abc, says, "The athlete’s attire had not come into question at all previous competitions. The coach learned of the disqualification at check-in before the race. In order to be respectful of her religious views, he did not ask her to remove her hijab. Due to the disqualification, the coach requested that OHSAA acknowledge which rule was violated. The coaching staff has been in contact with the OHSAA to ensure her eligibility that allows her to wear her hijab in future races. We are happy that this valuable member of our team will be competing this weekend. "

13abc is following up on this story and will have more information as it becomes available.