The first hijab-wearing Barbie based upon Olympian fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is to be released in 2018.

The doll was unveiled at Glamour's Women of the Year summit.

Ibtihaj, 31, rose to fame at the Rio Olympics, after becoming the first female Muslim-American to earn a medal and was also the first American woman to wear a headscarf.

She said on Twitter, "Thank you @Mattel for announcing me as the newest member of the @Barbie #Shero family!

"Iā€™m proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab! This is a childhood dream come true."