The French retailer's plan to sell a sports hijab has been greeted with much public ire in France and as a result the social media team have had a lot on their plates.
A deluge of comments, including some claiming the company's move was akin to supporting terrorists or complicit with women's oppression, have been directed at Decathlon's social media accounts.

Bonjour,
Le fait est que certaines femmes pratiquent la course à pied en portant un hijab. Celui-ci est souvent non-adapté à la pratique sportive, et peu confortable.
Nous avons donc développé un produit adapté et accessible, à la demande de ces clientes.
Yann— Decathlon (@Decathlon) February 25, 2019
“What is disgraceful is to conflate things with the sole purpose of conveying a message of hatred. From our perspective, we prefer to focus on making sport accessible to all women, regardless of their religion or culture.”
Ce qui est indigne, c’est de faire de tels amalgames qui ont pour seul effet de véhiculer un message de haine. De notre côté, nous préférons nous concentrer sur le fait de rendre le sport accessible à toutes les femmes, quelles que soient leur religion ou leur culture.
Yann— Decathlon (@Decathlon) February 25, 2019
Yann even took on high profile politicians such as MP for French President Emmanuel Macron's La Republique en Marche party Aurore Bergé.
Go Yann ! GO !!#Decathlon pic.twitter.com/1ARApALWiG
— M (@MaximeHaes) February 26, 2019
One person even suggested Yann should be put in charge of resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Motion to appoint Yann from Decathlon to be in charge of Palestine-Israel diplomacy, never seen anyone so calm and professional in the face of insults.”
Motion pour nommer Yann de @Decathlon responsable de la diplomatie Palestine-Israël, jamais vu quelqu'un d'aussi calme et professionnel face aux insultes
— Gween Tonic (@Gw3n_Coco) February 26, 2019
Another praised him as “the BEST CM (community manager) of the Year” with the hashtag “YannPresident”.
The BEST CM of the Year #Yann #Decathlon #YannPresident pic.twitter.com/0qDb4XCNDT
— AKHIKHO75❤️? (@AKHIKHO75) February 26, 2019
And one person tweeted that he could take on Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right head of the former far-right Rassemblement National party (formerly the National Front) next.
GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE !#Yann #Decathlon VS #MLP #RN pic.twitter.com/tRHLYgXgHf
— Mike Hornman (@Boss_Du_Rapport) February 26, 2019
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