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“If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EVEN REPRESENT ME.”
Liz Cambage shared the above words on Instagram in response to a Jockey ad that featured Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic ambassadors and an Australian Olympic Team (AOC) promotional Instagram post. All the athletes in the Jockey advertisement are white. The AOC photo included nine white athletes and one Indigenous athlete.
The lack of inclusion understandably aroused the ire of Cambage, who has spoken openly about how she struggled with her identity as a mixed-race young woman growing up in a whitewashed Australia. On Instagram, she further wrote:
News by Andrew McMurtry and Jai Bednall 8th May 2021 8:58 AM Aussie basketball superstar Liz Cambage has lashed out again over the clear lack of diversity in promotional Olympics photos after threatening to sit out the Tokyo Games. The WNBA star has been the Australian Opals leader in recent years but has had enough of people of colour not being fairly represented. Cambage caused a storm online earlier on Friday when she shared two images - one of a Jockey ad as it was unveiled as the official underwear supplier for the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams and one shot from the uniform unveiling.
News by Andrew McMurtry and Jai Bednall 8th May 2021 8:58 AM Aussie basketball superstar Liz Cambage has lashed out again over the clear lack of diversity in promotional Olympics photos after threatening to sit out the Tokyo Games. The WNBA star has been the Australian Opals leader in recent years but has had enough of people of colour not being fairly represented. Cambage caused a storm online earlier on Friday when she shared two images - one of a Jockey ad as it was unveiled as the official underwear supplier for the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams and one shot from the uniform unveiling.
Liz Cambage says she will sit out the Tokyo Olympics after taking issue with the athletes chosen to represent Australia in promotional shoots ahead of the Games. Cambage, 29, who has played for our national women s basketball team the Opals at the past two Olympics, made the threat on Instagram on Thursday in a series of posts. She shared two images - one of athletes showing off Australia s uniform for the Games and another promoting the official underwear sponsor of the team - she said were examples of whitewashing and did not represent the diverse backgrounds of Australia s athletes. If I ve said it once I ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN T EVEN REPRESENT ME, Cambage wrote.