London 2012 Olympics chief allows Sikhs to carry ceremonial dagger

Lord Coe says Sikhs can display their kirpan as 'an article of faith' when attending the Games.

Sikhs attending the London 2012 Olympics will be able to carry a small dagger, known as the kirpan, following reassurances from Lord Coe.

In a letter to the Sikh Federation, the former gold medal-winning athlete and chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, wrote that there would be no ban on a kirpan with a maximum blade length of three inches (eight centimetres).

In Sikhism, the kirpan and kara (bangle) are two of the five articles of faith that baptised Sikhs must carry at all times.

Lord Coe said: "At Games-time, small symbolic ceremonial daggers (an Article of Faith with a maximum blade length of 3 inches) carried for religious reasons will be allowed.

"We have worked closely with the Sikh community and the Metropolitan police on our plans in this area, and published this statement on our website and I would appreciate your help in communicating this to your federation.

"The Sikh community has played a major role from the outset of the bid to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games here in London."

The group, welcoming the letter, suggested its lobbying activity may have even helped London to triumph over Paris in the race to stage the event.

The Sikh Federation wrote to IOC members to discourage them from supporting the Paris bid because of the French ban on religious symbols in public places, "specifically targeting around 45 of the 115 voting IOC members who are from countries where religion is of paramount importance".

Dabinderjit Singh, a spokesman for Sikh interests in the UK, said: "I think that's what Seb was alluding to in his letter. We played that card quite heavily but didn't publicise it at the time."

He added that while there was a growing awareness about the kirpan as a religious item, there was still work to be done.

He cited the case of Sikh cricket fan Gurdev Singh, who was denied access to Lord's during a test match last weekend between India and England because he was wearing a kirpan. He staged a protest outside the ground.

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