In yesterday’s post we looked at sports uniforms and the sexualisation of women in sports. Yet, at times, there have been episodes that involved sports apparel, women and racism.
One episode that shed light on inclusivity in sports happened at the beginning of July when the International Swimming Federation (FINA) rejected the use of swimming caps by Soul Cap.
The Black-owned, UK-based company, co-founded by Toks Ahmed and Michael Chapman, specialises in silicone extra-large swimming caps for natural black hair. The caps are ideal for people with afros, weaves, extensions, dreadlocks, thick and curly hair.
The brand also partnered with 24-year-old athlete Alice Dearing, the first Black woman to represent Team GB at the Olympics and co-founder of the Black Swimming Association.
While in yesterday's post we mentioned the athletes from the Norway team who were told that their shorts didn't conform to the rules and were eventually fined for "improper clothing", FINA stated in this case that the caps do not fit "the natural form of the head" (you may have expected a more technical comment, like the caps facilitating swimming, something not even applicable in this case as the caps are larger and may actually put swimmers at a disadvantage).
FINA then added to this already puzzling comment that to their "best knowledge the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require… caps of such size and configuration". The words to justify their excuse for not allowing the caps opened the proverbial Pandora's box as it became clear that the athletes seen so far by FINA competing at international events were mainly white, that’s why they never needed swimming caps specially designed for afro hair.
The case reshifted the attention of people on social media about the fact that members of the BAME community often decide not to take up swimming as there is a lack of products designed for them. Welcoming such a product at the level of official competitions could instead encourage members of the black and minority ethnic community of all ages to take up swimming which is not just a great sport, but it is first and foremost a lifesaving skill.
Eventually Brent Nowicki, executive director of the International Swimming Federation, apologised, but the ban wasn't lifted. The decision is being reviewed, in the meantime, Nowicki invited Soul Cap to submit again their application in September. Yet the main point of all this debate is not the ban on this product, but the inclusivity and representation behind the product.
But this is not the only time we have seen racism appearing in sports in connection maybe with a garment or accessory: in 2018 the French Open banned Serena Williams' catsuit that made her look like a superhero. Wearing it, she stated, made her feel like "a warrior princess… from Wakanda, maybe," referring to the movie "Black Panther". The catsuit had actually got a medical purpose as Williams had suffered from blood clots in her lungs after giving birth to her daughter and the suit helped the blood circulation going.
Most tennis tournaments have specific dress codes that quite often sound ridiculously dated: Wimbledon even requires players to dress almost entirely in white. The rule states: "White does not include off-white or cream; there should be no solid mass or panel of colouring; a single trim of colour around the neckline and around the cuff of the sleeve is acceptable but must be no wider than 1cm; shoes must be almost entirely white, including the soles; and any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than 1cm." In Williams' catsuit case, though, you felt that the French Open was almost bothered by the fact that the athlete looked like a fierce and sensual Amazon in her dynamic bodysuit.
But if these stories focus more on sports apparel and racism, there have been incidents that point at double standards. As you may remember, at the 2018 US Open Women's Singles tennis final, Serena Williams had an argument with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
The umpire penalised Williams for receiving instructions from her coach, a charge of cheating, and complained about that. In the second set, Williams smahed her racket and got a point penalty. Frustrated, Williams accused Ramos of stealing a point from her and the umpire retaliated by deducting a game from the American. Williams was also fined $17,000 over the incident that sparked a debate and a racist cartoon in an Australian newspaper. At the time Williams claimed the umpire's decision were sexist, while her fans wondered if a man in her position (how many times have we seen a male tennis player smashing a racket on the court?) would have received the same penalties.
The same double standard was applied to a more recent incident: African American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, an athelete with an explosive power and a totally fierce look who won the 100m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 10.86, qualifying for the Tokyo Games, wasn't able to go to the Olympics as she was suspended after testing positive for cannabis during a dope test.
Marijuana is legal in some states in America, including Oregon, where Richardson used it. Richardson accepted responsibility and the story ended there, dividing public opinion and breaking the heart of her fans, while Congresswoman Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez stated on social media that the International Olympic Committee's ban was "an instrument of racist and colonial policy."
But while she was suspended, there was no ban on Alen Hadzic, an alternate on the US fencing team accused of sexual predation and sexual assault by six female fencers. The alleged crime is being investigated, but Hadzic was able to go to Tokyo, even though he was flown apart from his teammates, excluded from the opening ceremony's parade and also put in a different accomodation to keep him separate from the other athletes.
Mind you, there have also been cases in which there was no double standard applied, but racism still triumphed. In 2019, drawing attention to racial injustice, US hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised a fist on the podium when she won gold at the Pan-Am Games towards the end of the national anthem.
Berry violated the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) prohibition on athletes' demonstrations and the Olympic body put her on probation for a year. A white male athlete, fencer Race Imboden, who took a knee on the podium in the same games, incurred in the same fate.
Things may be slowly changing, though, as the USOPC stopped sanctioning athletes for such demonstrations and athletes are now allowed to raise a fist or kneel at the Olympic trials without being punished; besides, they can also wear clothes displaying messages such as "Black Lives Matter".
The road to equality in sports is long, but, luckily, it is possible to meet along it some wonderfully fierce people, especially women, who are fighting racial discrimination and its underlying inequalities. A last honourable mention to complete this post goes to Olympic figure skater Surya Bonaly. Her signature backflips remained illegal and dangerous for the International Skating Union Bonaly, but she entered history for being the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on only one blade (in the history of ice skating, only men completed the backflip but all of them landed on both feet). In 1998, fearless Bonaly showed the judges who often claimed her style didn't meet the figure skating criteria, what she could do, making a statement as a fearless athlete and as one of a very few Black women in ice skating in her times.
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