SWIMMING CAP DESIGNED TO PROTECT NATURAL HAIR GAINS APPROVAL AFTER OLYMPIC BAN
The use of swimming caps, created to protect Black athletes’ natural hair during sports, got approved by International Swimming Federation (FINA) after being banned by Olympics in 2021.
The manufacturer, Soul Cap, exclaimed their happiness by calling this approval by FINA “a huge step in the right direction.” The website announced this good news as a “success for the entire swimming community.” Toks Ahmed, the co-founder of Soul Cap, said this approval would lead to more inclusive sports.
In an interview, Brent Nowicki, the executive director of FINA, said that the announcement stems from a year-long process of reviewing and discussing cap design between FINA and Soul Cap. He further added, “Promoting diversity and inclusivity is at the heart of FINA’s work, and all aquatic athletes must have access to the appropriate swimwear.”
Soul Cap is a London based Black owned company that designed swimming caps to cater to thick, curly, afro, braided hair, which was rejected by FINA. FINA claimed that those caps were not a good fit for the head’s natural shape and that athletes never wear caps of this size.
The Black community was disheartened by this decision. A young Black swimmer, Kejai Terrelonge, said in an interview that she felt “heartbroken but not surprised” by this decision of the competitive sports governing body. She explained that regular swimming caps do not stay on her head for long because people with thick hair need something designed specifically for their heads.
After rejection from FINA, a wave spread all over the swimming community, and it started getting attention on a global level. The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, and CNN picked up the story, as reported by the Soul Cap website.
The company posted a statement on its official website, “Our design was unconventional. And back then, there just wasn’t enough awareness about the challenges faced by swimmers from some backgrounds.”
The company applied for approval and Alice Dearing partnered to promote the cap by wearing it in 10 kilometer swimming marathon at Tokyo Olympics last year. But, she did not receive approval from FINA.
Alice is a British swimmer who represented Great Britain in the 2021 Olympics. She is also a co-founder of the Black Swimming Association, founded in 2020.
She partnered with Soul Cap for the promotion of diversity in sports. She was moved by the reports about young Black women quitting their swimming careers because of facing hair-related problems.
Soul Cap co-founder Michael Chapmen says, “There’s still huge progress to be made for diversity in aquatics.”
