Sports and religion should not be mixed. Heena Sidhu's decision is certainly nice and bold one. It obviously shows the inner strength of her. I completely support her and feels that every sports women should have the choice to decide on her attire.
- Anjum Chopra (former Indian women cricket captain)
Sports should not have any such restrictions. Being a shooter, Heena has to perform some kind of duty and if that interferes in her performance then she has all the right to take her decision. Every religion has its own rituals but that should not be binding upon anyone else. Heena should have been allowed if she wanted to compete without hijab.
In Islam also, the Allah tells the man that "first he should have control over his eyes".
Like in Central Asia, the females are only suppose to cover their heads. But in Iran, they want entire face to be covered. So, it's different in all parts as per their tradition and customs. And all these customs can't be enforced upon any outsider for sure.
A sportsman has no religion. He or she represents the entire society and thus cannot be called by his or her religion. Sportsman belongs to entire world.
- Zafar Iqbal, Former India hockey captain
This was Heena Sidhu's personal decision to not participate in an event in Iran. However, this will not have any kind of affect on her career at all.
- Rajiv Bhatia, NRAI secretary
Her decision not to go is purely an individual one. If a shooter, or any athlete for that matter, does not feel up for it, there's no point in going for the tournament. It was her personal decision, and everyone should respect it. As long as she informs the national federation, it should not be a problem for anyone.
Her withdrawal from the event will not affect her career at all. For any shooter, the four-year Olympic cycle is very important. This is just the beginning of the cycle for the next Olympics in 2020. Thus, her withdrawal should not have any impact, more so since she is just fresh off the recently-concluded Rio Olympics. A shooter of the caliber of Heena Sidhu will always look at long-term goals, which for her will be the next Olympics.
-Suma Shirur, former India shooter
