CALGARY — Alberta soccer officials are defending a decision by a referee to eject a teenage girl from an indoor soccer game in Calgary because of her religious head scarf.
The girl, 14, was not allowed to play in the game on Saturday while she was wearing a hijab.
Gary Roy, a spokesman for the Alberta Soccer Association, says the decision wasn’t based on any religious issue. Speaking on an Alberta radio talk show yesterday, Roy said the girl was at risk of choking or hurting her neck if her scarf had been grabbed.
He also said international soccer rules ban wearing anything that could cause injury to players.
Earlier this month, an 11-year-old girl left a Winnipeg judo tournament in tears when officials refused to let her fight while wearing a hijab.
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