Search Here

Nike's bid to make sports more inclusive to all women is now under furious development. The company has announced that the Nike Pro Hijab is set for release next year and is being endorsed by elite Muslim female athletes.

Developed With Women Athletes

According to New York Post, the Nike Pro Hijab was developed by the company, in consultation with leading athletes from the United Arab Emirates like weightlifter Amna Al Haddad and figure skater Zahra Lari. The company describes the Nike Pro Hijab as "lightweight, breathable, and adjustable" and can also stand the rigors of actual competition. This is now an alternative to the traditional head scarves that Muslim athletes have been using in competition.

Late Into The Game?

While the company brands the new Nike Pro Hijab as revolutionary, this is actually coming in late into the game. The modest fashion wear has been around for a while, so it begged the question what took Nike so long to develop something in the sports line, something they are known for worldwide. There are already smaller players in the modest wear sports line like Raqtive and Asiya that have sports hijabs. Now, Nike hopes to carve into the market that has a large potential for success of the Nike Pro Hijab (via The Guardian)

Game Changer

With the entry of Nike to the modest wear sports line with the Nike Pro Hijab, it validates the need of professional athletes of the Muslim faith that they are a market that can be served. This also recognizes the struggle that female Muslim athletes have been fighting against, like the opposition of their participation in sports.

The Nike Pro Hijab, together with other modest wear sports brands, answers the sports organizations' efforts to limit or disallow participation of women who wear the hijab on the grounds of safety concerns. With Nike's marketing and reputation and ultimately, its sponsorship of several sports organizations, the company can now influence the organizations to accept these types of active wear like the Nike Pro Hijab.

There still seems a long way to go but if the 2012 London Olympics are any indication where the last Muslim participating countries finally allowed women to compete, we are moving in the right direction.