|
|
Post by mikegarrison on Jul 7, 2021 15:43:05 GMT -5
A company started making swim caps specifically designed for "Afro" hair, and FINA rejected their application for use in the Olympics. They didn't even review the product, just said that the cap does not "follow the natural form of the head" and also said that no athletes have hair of that shape. Meaning, I guess, that they have never seen black people? Anyway, they have gotten blasted for this response, and are now backtracking, saying they will do a second review of the product. www.npr.org/2021/07/06/1013417132/a-swim-cap-made-for-black-hair-will-get-a-second-look-from-swimmings-governing-b |
|
|
|
Post by n00b on Jul 7, 2021 23:22:03 GMT -5
A company started making swim caps specifically designed for "Afro" hair, and FINA rejected their application for use in the Olympics. They didn't even review the product, just said that the cap does not "follow the natural form of the head" and also said that no athletes have hair of that shape. Meaning, I guess, that they have never seen black people? Anyway, they have gotten blasted for this response, and are now backtracking, saying they will do a second review of the product. www.npr.org/2021/07/06/1013417132/a-swim-cap-made-for-black-hair-will-get-a-second-look-from-swimmings-governing-bIsn't the point of the product to not follow the natural form of the head? Sure, they could change their rules, but this is clearly very different from any cap I've ever seen worn in competition.  |
|
|
|
Post by mikegarrison on Jul 8, 2021 11:25:09 GMT -5
this is clearly very different from any cap I've ever seen worn in competition That's kind of the point. Something apparently both you and FINA didn't understand. Black athletes are saying that their natural hair doesn't fit under "any cap I've ever seen worn in competition". They have to either cut it off or "relax" it to get it to fit. |
|
|
|
Post by n00b on Jul 8, 2021 17:28:24 GMT -5
this is clearly very different from any cap I've ever seen worn in competition That's kind of the point. Something apparently both you and FINA didn't understand. Black athletes are saying that their natural hair doesn't fit under "any cap I've ever seen worn in competition". They have to either cut it off or "relax" it to get it to fit. Has this been a rule change that has been fought for? I'm fine with them changing the rules. I don't know nearly enough about fluid dynamics to know if this would be a benefit, negative, whatever. None of the articles mention anything about an effort to get the rules changed before this moment. A cap manufacturer produced a cap that is against the rules and people are throwing a fit two weeks before the Olympics? If the rule had been lobbied for for a while, it doesn't create a competitive advantage, and they still didn't allow it then I think we have an issue. That isn't what any of the articles I've read have implied. |
|
|
|
Post by mikegarrison on Jul 8, 2021 17:54:28 GMT -5
Everything swimmers wear has to be submitted for approval, and the submission due date was May 1, so there is no reason to suspect this was some sort of strange last minute submission -- unless you are predisposed to believe that in the first place, I guess.
(There is also a list of pre-approved swimwear that is published every November.)
|
|
