Ban on 'Soul Caps' sparks concern about swimming's lack of inclusivity

When she competes in next week's women's 10k marathon swim, the first Black female swimmer on Great Britain's Olympic team won't have on the swim caps that she endorses.

Swimming's international governing body has forbidden Alice Dearing from wearing them during the Tokyo Games.

The British brand Soul Cap designed swim caps for “thick, curly and voluminous hair” in hopes of encouraging more Black women to begin swimming and making a majority-white sport more inclusive. FINA last month rejected Soul Cap’s attempt to gain approval for use at the Olympics and questioned the need for such a product.

In its decision, FINA said the caps did not fit “the natural form of the head.” The governing body insisted that to its “best knowledge, the athletes competing at the international events never used, neither require to use caps of such size and configuration.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/olympics/ban-on-soul-caps-sparks-concern-about-swimming-s-lack-of-inclusivity/ar-AAMuTi4