Fans Outraged After Swim Caps Designed For Black Hair Are Banned From Olympics For Infuriating Reason

Their reasoning? To their \u2018best knowledge, the athletes competing at the International events never used, neither require to use, caps of such size and configuration\u2019.\n\nThe Committee also deemed them unsuitable as they don't \u2018follow the natural form of the head\u2019.

— Metro (@Metro) 1625055164

A week after celebrating @alicedearingx becoming the first Black-Brit to qualify for the Olympics we are extremely disappointed to see the @fina1908 decision - one that will discourage many younger athletes from ethnic minority communities from pursuing competitive swimming.https://twitter.com/metrouk/status/1410209642198835203\u00a0\u2026

— Black Swimming Association (@Black Swimming Association) 1625068276

We believe this statement confirms the lack of diversity in elite swimming and the lack of urgency for change.

— Black Swimming Association (@Black Swimming Association) 1625069310

I thought this was a joke when my wife told me about this story. What message does this send to all budding mixed race and black swimmers who have Olympic ambitions? You need to be white with short hair to be an elite swimmer. @fina1908 take a look at yourselves

— jimmyc (@jimmyc) 1625086415

Just soul destroying. This is at best unconscious bias and at worst deliberate discrimination. We expect more from @fina1908 -you have to know better and do better. People are working hard to end discrimination and increase diversity in swimming and you wreck it in one action

— SwimWildPodcast \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@SwimWildPodcast \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1625144212

This is disgusting, what can we do to make them change this ?!

— \u2728 (@\u2728) 1625068286

If it gave an advantage, that\u2019s one thing, but it will have the opposite effect, #racismnotlogic

— Brenda Willis (@Brenda Willis) 1625346704

The natural form of a swimmers head includes the hair attached to it. #smartenup #olympics.

— ni-chola (@ni-chola) 1625199978

Oh damn not 'The natural form of the head'?? The committee better get their skull-measuring calipers out of the box in the attic, that's always worked well in the past.

— Cleopatra had Asp Urges (@Cleopatra had Asp Urges) 1625064828

@fina1908 so tone deaf and micro-aggressive. Here, blatantly defining what\u2019s norm based on historic M.O. which excluded black people (and our natural hair textures). Of course it wasn\u2019t used in the past, nonblack swimmers didn\u2019t have the same natural hair as these black athletes.

— Neen (@Neen) 1625171844