Bill protects religious items for Ohio prep athletes

(The Center Square) – Ohio high school athletes could be allowed to wear religious items during competition without receiving prior approval if a bill recently introduced in the Ohio Senate becomes law.

Athletes must receive written permission from the Ohio High School Athletic Association to wear religious items. Senate Bill 181 ends that requirement, and it follows an incident involving Noor Abukaram, who was disqualified from a cross country race because she was not granted prior permission to compete in her hijab.

“I pride myself on my communications with my constituents and many of my bills, like this one, come directly from those conversations,” Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, said in testimony at the bill’s first hearing at the end of May. “However, I am disappointed because I never thought I would need to be before this committee or any other to right such an egregious wrong.”

A similar bill was introduced last year during the COVID-19 pandemic but failed to move through the General Assembly.

Abukaram ran a personal best at the 2019 district cross country meet but noticed after the meet her name was not listed among the finishers. She testified another girl told her she had been disqualified because of her hijab.

The incident gained national attention, and she appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, ESPN and several national news outlets.

Abukaram said she was approached by an official inquiring about prior approval in April at a track meet in Amherst, Ohio, as she prepared for the mile relay and her teammate was nearing her handoff. She told the official she didn’t need approval, but the official said she did.

She was stopped again at her second race that day and asked for a waiver by another official.

“I stand before you today, hat in hand, or should I say hijab, asking you all to be on the progressive side of history and support this bill,” Abukaram testified. “I know that all the international media is meaningless without lawmakers willing to hear my voice and implementing the necessary change.”

The OHSAA follows National Federation of State High School Associations rules in its sports, with few exceptions, and the issue is being taken up at the national level.

Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, used her weekly newsletter this week to address the issue, saying the federation has been asked repeatedly this year to consider religious beliefs and cultural background when it comes to rules.

“While items such as headwear, jewelry and adornments are not necessary to play a given sport, the NFHS has been asked to look at how these types of items might impact a young person’s identity,” Niehoff wrote.

She said rules committees weigh the potential risk of injury and how items might compromise the fit of equipment.

Six sports – volleyball, basketball, soccer, field hockey and spirit – have modified rules related to religious or cultural backgrounds. Softball is meeting and reviewing its rules.

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