So far, swim caps made for Black athletes with voluminous hair haven't been approved by an organization recognized by the International Olympics committee and probably won’t be allowed at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
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Many see the decision as racist and a slap in the face to Black athletes. It prompted significant backlash on social media, according to NPR.
“Do better,” said Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson.
“This ruling by FINA does not help diversify the swimming community. It continues to marginalize people of color,” said Dr. Herman Kelly, an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University and Senior Olympics participant who has a passion for teaching Black students swimming, said in a July 6 Swimmer’s World Magazine op-ed.
FINA was founded in 1908 and has members and currently has 209 member federations.
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Michael Chapman and Toks Ahmed – founders of U.K.-based Soul Cap, according to Vogue – said they designed their cap for swimmers “blessed with voluminous hair” like many Black swimmers. They told vogue that they had done a lot of research about the approval process through FINA before applying to have the cap authorized for use in the Olympics.
However, they were shot down. In fact, FINA told Chapman and Ahmed their caps weren’t even considered for approval and therefore were not eligible for an appeals process, said Vogue.
FINA guidelines stipulate swimming caps must “follow the natural shape of the head” and the organization said Soul Caps don’t meet that criteria, according to the Associated Press.
“Our cap is the same shape as standard swim caps. It’s just simply larger to accommodate long, voluminous, or textured hair,” said Ahmed.
According to the Soul Caps Instagram, Alice Dearing, the first Black woman slated to represent Great Britain in swimming, is the company’s new brand ambassador.
“The issue with this story is I don’t want little Black girls and little Black boys to look at elite swimming and think it is not open to them because that is completely the wrong idea,” she said in a recent interview with Sky Sports.
In his op-ed, Kelly explained that “swimming in the communities of color is already a phobia,” because many don’t have access to swimming instruction. Chapman and Ahmed reveal on the Soul Cap website that they didn’t learn to swim until they were older.
FINA said in a July 2 statement it “acknowledges the comments and reactions concerning the use of “Soul Cap” swim caps in FINA competition,” and is reviewing the Soul Cap application. Meanwhile, FINA said the caps can be used during practice.
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While FINA is an international organization, there is legal precedent in the U.S. for action against hair discrimination. According to the American Bar Association, it is illegal in three states (California, New York and New Jersey) to discriminate against people of color for their hairstyle.