Nike just gave one of 2017's most important innovations a global release.

The Nike Pro Hijab has been created with a view to making Muslim women comfortable in sport, and has been tested in competition by athletes from the USA, UAE and Germany during the course of this year.

Wearing a traditional hijab for competition isn't effective but until now athletes haven't had much of a choice.

Olympic fencer for Team USA, Ibtihaj Muhammad, spoke about the significance of the Pro Hijab for Muslim women worldwide:

"The Nike Pro Hijab will help advance the conversation around hijabs and Muslim women in sports and further make sports an inclusive space.

The Nike Pro Hijab is constructed from single-layer Nike Pro fabric which features holes for optimised breathability. It was called one of the most important innovations of 2017 by TIME.

The Nike Pro Hijab is available December 1 in black and obsidian on nike.com and at select retailers in Europe, North Africa, North America and across the Middle East. Other colorways, including white and vast gray, will launch in January on nike.com and at select retailers in more than 20 countries.