'Nothing we can't do': Gladiators' first hijabi contender aims to inspire

Aneila Afsar poses in her blue Gladiators kit. She wears a white hijab and smiles at the camera, her arms folded across her chest.
Aneila Afsar made history as the first contender to appear on Gladiators wearing a hijab [BBC/Hungry Bear Media Ltd/David MacCormack]

When Aneila Afsar first appeared on Gladiators, she made history.

The popular BBC One show which pits gladiators against contenders in a series of physical challenges was rebooted last year and Aneila has made it to Saturday's semi-finals.

She became the first person ever to compete on the show wearing a hijab and says she gains strength from wearing it.

"I love that I have the opportunity to go on this iconic show and inspire young Muslim girls, women from my community, and show them that there's nothing we can't do," the 26-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat.

Many Muslim girls and women wear the hijab, an Islamic head covering, as a symbol of modesty.

Aneila hasn't always worn one, only choosing to cover her hair three years ago, and part of that was because she didn't see other hijabis within sports.

'My superpower'

The mum-of-two from Lancashire is a former taekwondo champion, winning a Commonwealth Championship in the youth category.

Back then, she "didn't have the courage to embrace the scarf".

"Part of that was because of not having female Muslim role models in the sport or sports in general.

"It was hard adapting to wearing a headscarf while being in the fitness industry.

"Going from not covering to then covering everything which includes your hair, you can feel as if people are staring, you don't feel confident," she says.

But as she got older, Aneila found the confidence to be that role model herself and now she sees the hijab differently.

"It's empowering, it's my superpower. I love it."

Aneila during the powerball challenge on Gladiators. Wearing a white helmet and matching red sports top and shorts with the Gladiators logo, she runs while holding a red ball. In front of her is Sabre, a gladiator dressed in a sparkly red and blue two piece, trying to stop her getting the ball into a bucket.
Aneila made it to the semi-finals as the fastest runner up after just missing out on certain victory during her last appearance [BBC / Graeme Hunter / Hungry Bear Media Ltd]

The hijab can sometimes be a controversial topic in sport and at last year's Paris Olympics, French athletes were banned from wearing one even though the International Olympic Committee allowed them to.

In 2023, Moroccan footballer Nouhaila Benzina made history as the first player to wear a hijab at the Women's World Cup. They had been banned until 2014 by the game's governing body Fifa.

Since first appearing on the show, Aneila says not everyone has been so positive about her hijab though.

She's posted about receiving Islamophobic and racist abuse on social media, but says overall it's been heavily outweighed by the encouraging ...

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