The sportswear giant said it was inspired by Saudi Arabian runner Sarah Attar, who competed in the 800m race at the London 2012 Olympics wearing a hijab, and Emirati weightlifter Amna Al Haddad, who competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

A Nike statement said: ‘The Nike Pro Hijab may have been more than a year in the making, but its impetus can be traced much further back, to an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport.

The Nike Pro Hijab will be launched in Spring 2018 and the firm says many female Muslim athletes had asked for the garment to be made so they could ‘perform better’

A Nike spokesperson told Al Arabiya English they came up with the concept after Al Haddad visited its research facility at their global headquarters in Oregon, US.

The spokesperson said: ‘We worked with Amna and a variety of other athletes to see what they needed and wanted in a performance hijab.

‘What we heard was that women were looking for a lightweight and breathable solution that would stay in place without concern of shifting.’

Saudi Arabian runner Sarah Attar helped inspire Nike to make the garment after running in a hijab in the 800m race at the London 2012 Olympics

The hijabs have been tested by Egyptian running Coach Manal Rostom and Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari, as well as ‘everyday athletes’ from the Middle East.