Muslim athlete calls for greater inclusion in Winnipeg sports programs
Posted December 3, 2025 10:20 am.
Last Updated December 3, 2025 10:22 am.
A Winnipeg youth leader and Muslim athlete is raising concerns about the lack of representation and inclusion of Muslim women in sports, saying many young athletes feel unwelcome on community teams.
Samira Jahmoun, a youth leader at Winnipeg Newcomer Sports Academy, says newcomer athletes often struggle to find a place where their needs are understood and respected.
“Sometimes it’s not completely accepted by coaches, when you go and approach: ‘hey, I can’t be wearing shorts, for example. It’s not part of my faith.’ Some of them are not willing to take it in,” said Jahmoun.
She says Muslim female athletes face several barriers, with modest religious attire being the most common hurdle. Many teams are not prepared to accommodate these needs, leading to girls and women dropping out of sports at a young age.
“And, I think, it shouldn’t be that way. It’s very important especially for female athletes, regardless of their religion or their faith to be welcomed in sports the way they feel comfortable to be represented,” said Jahmoun.
Winnipeg Newcomer Sports Academy recently released a report on tackling Islamophobia in local sport environments. Founder Carolyn Trono says the survey did not identify open Islamophobia, but it did show that newcomer and Muslim sports groups are often isolated from other teams — something she says leaves athletes frustrated.
“Not feeling welcome, not feeling comfortable, not feeling like the environment is set for them,” said Trono. “And so what we see is Muslim groups are doing sports separately and non-Muslim groups doing sports separately and not a whole lot of integration.”
As part of the study, the academy brought Muslim and non-Muslim groups together for joint team sport activities. Trono says those interactions helped break down biases.
“It makes our worldview expand a little bit. And friends were made. One woman from that group joined a curling club. And you go: ‘oh!’,” said Trono.
–With files from Sofia Frolova
