Alice Dearing, SOUL CAP ambassador who will represent Great Britain in the Olympics.
Photo: Instagram/SOUL CAP
Tokyo Olympics: Swimming body bans caps for ‘unsuitable’ Afro hair
Tokyo Olympics have banned swim caps (from Soul Cap) designed for Afro hair after a swimming body described them as unsuitable.
Alice Dearing, SOUL CAP ambassador who will represent Great Britain in the Olympics.
Photo: Instagram/SOUL CAP
The Tokyo Olympics have reportedly banned swimming caps designed for Afro hair on the upcoming games. Fédération Internationale De Natation (FINA) the international federation for competitions in water sports – rejected an application by British firm Soul Cap for its products to be officially recognised, meaning they cannot be worn at the upcoming Games.
The governing body behind swimming described the caps as unsuitable and said that elite athletes don’t need caps of this “size and configuration.”
WHY ARE AFRO HAIR CAPS BANNED AT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS?
In a statement, FINA stated that to its “best knowledge, the athletes competing at the International events never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration” and added that the styles were unsuitable for competitions, because they don’t “follow the natural form of the head.”
In a joint statement, SOUL CAP co-founders Toks Ahmed and Michael Chapman called out FINA’s “failure to acknowledge the diversity of competitive swimmers.”
“We hoped to further our work for diversity in swimming by having our swim caps certified for competition, so swimmers at any level don’t have to choose between the sport they love and their hair.
For younger swimmers, feeling included and seeing yourself in a sport at a young age is crucial. FINA’s recent dismissal could discourage many younger athletes from pursuing the sport as they progress through local, county and national competitive swimming. We feel there’s always room for improvement, but there’s only so much grassroots and small brands can do – we need the top to be receptive to positive change.”
SOUL CAPS Founders
The wo also said they do not see this as a set back, but a chance to open up a dialogue to make a bigger difference.
Black Swimming Association chair, Danielle Obe told Sky Sports that FINA’s decision is “not what inclusion is about”, and that it conflicts with the message of diversity that various sports governing bodies have been driving.
“This will affect younger swimmers, up and coming, who might want to consider taking up elite swimming. It will affect their decision because by and large, hair is a significant barrier to aquatics for – women especially – many people of colour from our communities. That should be considered as a product that overcomes this barrier.”
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