Nike to Launch a New Performance Hijab for Muslim Female Athletes [Photos]

Nike is taking a major step towards inclusion for all athletes around the world. After launching its first plus-size sportswear range for women earlier this month, the retailer is getting ready to release the new Pro Hijab designed for Muslim female athletes.

“The Nike Pro Hijab may have been more than a year in the making, but its impetus can be traced much further back, to an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport,” a statement from Nike read.

Global Nike Spokeswoman Megan Saalfeld told Al Arabiya English,

“The Nike Pro Hijab was designed as a direct result of our athletes telling us they needed this product to perform better, and we hope that it will help athletes around the world do just that.”

Megan also said the concept of launching an athletic hijab came after female Emirati Olympic weightlifting athlete Amna Al Haddad visited Nike’s sport research lab at their global headquarters in Oregon.

Amna complained that she only had one hijab that worked for her, and that she had to wash it by-hand each night in the sink during competitions.

The Nike Pro Hijab is set to release in spring 2018.

Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari has tested the Nike Pro Hijab. (Photo: Nike)