Trailblazing volleyball player Wilda Siti Nurfadilah on normalising wearing a hijab in sport
When the 28-year-old Indonesian wanted to wear a hijab on court, there were few available, so she set up a business to make them herself. Find out more about the trailblazing volleyball star in our exclusive interview.
Volleyball
Among the Indonesian women’s volleyball team at the Southeast Asian Games 2023, one athlete is making a difference both on and off the court.
Wilda Siti Nurfadhilah Sugandi is at her seventh SEA Games. At her first, in 2011, the team secured the bronze medal and repeated the feat in 2013 and 2015. But the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur would prove to be a defining moment for the then 22-year-old, and not just because she captained Indonesia to silver for the first time since 1991.
It was in Malaysia that Sugandi opted to wear a hijab on court, a breakthrough for women’s sport in the region, particularly with only football and badminton more popular than volleyball in her home nation.
“Wearing a hijab is very important to me because it is my religion,” Sugandi told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview at the 2023 SEA Games ahead of the semi-final. “As a Muslim we must wear a hijab and it is from my heart. My identity and self-respect is in the hijab.”
From there originated “the desire to prove that there is nothing wrong with wearing the hijab in sports and to be able to perform at a high level”.
But there were no specialist hijabs for sport, so Sugandi set about making her own.
“I created the court hijab in 2016 and the first time I wore it on court was in 2017. Prior to that hijabs were not allowed in the national teams.
“Thanks to God, that was also the year in which we won the silver medal and because of that we kicked off a trend in which more and more women in hijabs began to appear on volleyball courts, a trend which is still alive till now.
“Before me there were two other players who wore the hijab, but they were not in the national team. So, I was the first to wear the hijab in the Indonesian national volleyball team, and now most of those in the national team are in hijab, apart from four of them.”
Wilda Siti Nurfadilah: Businesswoman and social influencer
Making that breakthrough took guts: “When I first wore the hijab, people were very interested and glanced at me because my previous appearance was very different,” she said.
That core determination is revealed further, away from the court.
The 28-year-old completed a masters in business during the COVID-19 pandemic and set up fashion brand, creating high-performance hijabs specifically designed for sport.
The business supplements her income as does her huge following on social media, which currently stands at one million followers on Instagram.
It sounds like a lot for one person to manage but Sugandi is relaxed about her numerous interests.
“I really never pressure or force myself into doing anything. As a volleyball player, everything to do with it – from the training to the matches – I do it because I enjoy doing it. With social media, I enjoy doing it casually, I'm not pressuring myself to do social media constantly.”
Her own inspirations include the Thai volleyball superstar pairing of Wilavan Apinyapong and Pleumjit Thinkaow.
“I really love them and respect them. They are my idols and I want to emulate them. But also, while they have become world-class players they have a very good attitude, they are still very humble and do not forget where they come from.”
The same could be said of the trailblazing Sugandi.