Photo: Soul Cap
A Black-owned swimming cap brand has been denied certification to be used as swim gear at the Tokyo Olympics.
The outlet states that the FINA committee said to their “best knowledge, the athletes competing at the International events never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration,” adding that the caps don’t follow “the natural form of the head.”
Soul Cap
Thestatement continued: “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. A huge thanks to all who have supported us and our work so far. We don’t see this as a setback, but a chance to open up a dialogue to make a bigger difference.”
Ahmed and Chapman said their goal is to increase diversity in swimming, a sport that has seen minimal participation from Black athletes, after listening to stories from athletes and seeing a"real problem."
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Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel — who is the first Black woman to earn an individual medal in Olympic swimming — opened up to PEOPLE last year abouther own experience in the sportand why she wants to use her platform to speak out against racism and encourage people of color to feel comfortable participating in swimming.
“I think that my journey in the sport of swimming as a Black woman has been one with many trials and tribulations,” Manuel, 24, said in July 2020.
“It’s very obvious that it’s rooted in the thinking that Black people can’t swim, shouldn’t swim or can’t be successful in the sport of swimming,” she continued. “I’ve gotten responses like that. I’ve gotten laughed at when I’ve told people I swim…Swimming is what I love to do, and I’m not going to let someone stand in my way.”
source: people.com
