Olympic ban on swim caps for Black hair offensive, discriminatory, says Seattle founder of Afro Swimmers July 15, 2021 at 5:22 pm
Olympic medalist, Maritza McClendon, says 64% of African American children can t swim. She believes the swim cap ban is just another barrier. (Photo courtesy of Maritza McClendon)
There has always been only one kind of swim cap.
“But those caps were not made for us,” said Seattle’s Noelle Ndiaye, swim coach and founder of Afro Swimmers, a movement to make swimming accessible to everyone. “They weren’t made for people with locs, they weren’t made for people with afros, with curly, textured hair.”
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The International Swimming Federation has said it would review the decision.
• 9 min read
This is the story of Black hair
Author Emma Dabiri says the stigma around Afro-textured hair is a construct. Here s where the myth comes from. Luke Hutson Flynn
A rejection to allow swim caps made for natural hair in the Olympics has started a larger conversation on bias, gatekeeping and representation in the sport.
Soul Cap, a U.K.-based company that sells swimming caps for thick, curly and voluminous hair, had submitted its product to the International Swimming Federation (FINA) for approval last year so that athletes with these types of hair could use them while participating in the Tokyo Olympics.