‘SOUL CAP’, a Black-owned company that creates larger swim caps to fit around Afro and other styles of natural hair, won’t be making an appearance at the Tokyo 2020-2021 Olympics.
According to Metro, the Fédération Internationale De Natation (FINA) noted that it deemed the “shape and configuration” of ‘SOUL CAP’ swim caps to be “unnecessary”.
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”.
SOUL CAP founders Toks Ahmed and Michael Chapman were disappointed and called out FINA’s “failure to acknowledge the diversity of competitive swimmers”.
The duo established SOUL CAP in 2017 when they took adult swim lessons and found that they couldn’t buy caps to fit over their hair. The brand also partnered with Alice Dearing, the first Black woman to compete in swimming for Great Britain at the Olympic level.
In an interview, Ahmed who is one of the founders of SOUL CAP said “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. How do we achieve participation and representation in the world of competition swimmers, if the governing body stops suitable swimwear from being available to those who are underrepresented? There’s only so much grassroots and small brands can do; we need the top to be receptive to positive change”.
Chapman adding his voice to the unfortunate situation also said that they felt “disappointed in this failure to acknowledge the diversity of competitive swimmers, particularly in a year where we have seen as an increase in swimmers from ethnic minority backgrounds qualifying for the Olympics“.
On Twitter, the brand noted that they’re not considering the decision as a setback, just an opportunity to open the dialogue around inclusion in swimming.
That notwithstanding, Michelle De Leon, founder of ‘World Afro Day’, added that the news is “deeply worrying” and that “it sends out the message of eurocentric standards for hair”.
According to her, “Current elite athletes may have straightened their hair or keep their hair short to use traditional swimming caps. What about the history of chemical straightening techniques, used by Black women in these sports to gain the European aesthetic?”
De Leon pointed out studies linking the ingredients in relaxers, which straighten curly hair, to increased risk of cancer, asthma, and fibroids.
As many as 78% of the products tested that are marketed towards Black women contain hormone-disrupting chemicals which can lead to these health complications. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have warned that women who use chemical hair straighteners have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who don’t.
De Leon further stated that: “There is a new generation of athletes, who will not want to compromise their natural Afro hair or health to be a swimming champion. The committee has a duty to promote the wellbeing of athletes and remove barriers for entry to the sport, not reinforce them”.
Read also: Shocking as Tailor seen working with sewing machine on a plane mid-air
