The Changing the Narrative documentary series offers an intimate, fly-on-the-wall experience, capturing the raw journey of young people as we delve into vital topics such as mental and physical health, fashion, religion, music, dietary choices and more, all this while addressing the low participation rate of Black and Asian youth in swimming and aquatics.
Watch episode 1 –
Adam Peaty began feeling unwell on Sunday, ahead of his Men’s 100m Breaststroke final. In the hours after the final, his symptoms became worse and he was tested for COVID early on Monday morning. He tested positive at that point.
He is hopeful to be back in competition for the relay events later in the swimming programme. As in any case of illness, the situation is being managed appropriately, with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy.
New research has found that only one member of the Team GB 2024 swimming team is a person of colour.
In 2021, Alice Dearing made history after becoming the first Black female swimmer for Team GB after participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. While Dearing broke the glass ceiling, there’s still a long way to go in making aquatic activities accessible and inclusive for people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage.
Obé, the company behind the waterproof head scarf designed for people with textured hair, has examined the representation of Black swimmers in the upcoming Olympic Games to debunk the dangerous stereotype that ‘Black people can’t swim’ and encourage more people of colour to engage in aquatic activities.
The research discovered that Eva Okaro is the only person of colour on Team GBs 33-strong swimming team. She is also set to be one of the youngest competitors at the games and only the second Black woman to represent Team GB in the pool at the Olympics.
As part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay pool, Okaro intends to use this as an opportunity to inspire a new wave of swimmers, saying, “I think it’s an honour and privilege to be in this position and to inspire other young Black swimmers to know they can make it all the way.”
Representation matters
According to the latest Sport England stats, 97% of Black adults and 82% of Black children in the UK do not swim. That does not mean they can’t swim, rather they just aren’t in the water.
Black Swimming Association (BSA) research shows that the underrepresentation of people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in swimming is a major contributing factor. They also do not swim due to inherited fears of drowning, negative early experiences, and a lack of water safety awareness and aquatic skills.
These findings highlight the importance of greater representation in swimming and aquatic activities, especially for children, with the most recent statistics from Swim England showing that almost 1 in 3 children leave primary education unable to swim.
Helping through haircare & protection
The largest barrier to participation for people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage was concern over their hair, as haircare can be very expensive, whether it’s maintaining, styling or protecting.
Textured hair is more susceptible to long-term damage from the chemicals used in swimming pools. Prolonged contact can cause the hair to become dry and brittle, leading to breakage. The time, effort and cost it takes to treat and style hair after swimming can be a particular deterrent.
Obé seeks to change the detrimental rhetoric of ‘Black people can’t swim’ and encourage both kids and adults to find their place in the water by creating a range of functional, yet stylish waterproof headscarves.
Specially designed to meet the needs of people of African, Caribbean, and Asian heritage, this one-of-a-kind waterproof headscarf empowers wearers to have confidence in knowing they are protected when in, on, or around water.
Danielle Obe, Founder of Obé, comments: “Despite having incredible, inspirational Black women like Alice Dearing and Eva Okaro paving the way for more Black swimmers, there’s still a way to go. Like many parents, I want to live in a world where my children are able to enjoy the water, without fear or feeling like there isn’t a place for them.
“Being able to swim and having water safety knowledge are more than just life skills, they are basic human rights. At Obé, we believe in empowering communities and helping create opportunities to embrace being in, on, or around water. By providing people of African, Caribbean, and Asian heritage to have the courage to step in as them means we’re more likely to see greater representation in swimming.”
World silver medallists Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe were named today by the British Olympic Association (BOA) as Team GB’s sole artistic swimmers for Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The duet who will be competing at their second Olympic Games were announced at the SEA LIFE London Aquarium.
Historic performances at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha in February saw Thorpe and Shortman secure Britain’s quota spot in the Olympic artistic swimming duet events by virtue of their silver medal in the Tech Duet and bronze in the Free Duet – the first-ever global duet medals for Britain in artistic swimming.
Following their Olympic debut in Tokyo, where they placed 14th, they have gone on to become one of the leading international duos in the sport, with their results including a European medal for Team GB at the European Games in Poland last year along with gold most recently at the Olympic test event.
The Olympic Tech Duet session in Paris takes place on Friday 9th August, with the Free Duet final – when the medals are decided – the following day on Saturday 10th August.
“Mark England, Team GB Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, said;
“Since Izzy and Kate made their Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, they have gone from strength to strength.
“We were delighted to see them qualify for the Paris Games earlier this year in style, through winning GB’s first ever global duet medal in artistic swimming, with their World silver medal. And to see them follow this up with gold at the recent test event is testament to the hard work and dedication they, and their team, have put in.”
Aquatics GB Artistic Swimming Manager Karen Thorpe added: “We are very excited to be selected to go to the Olympic Games for the second time with Iz and Kate, especially following the recent success at the World Championships and World Cup.
“We feel this is putting us in a very strong position to be real medal contenders at the Games. I think we can show the community and the country that there is an opportunity for people not just to run or swim fast, but also to be creative and be involved in a team sport – we are one of the only sports to be able to boast both those things.
“We obviously want to do a great performance while we’re out there and hopefully do the country proud. I know that the athletes would like to inspire the next generation of artistic swimming athletes and showcase it out to increase the participation of boys and girls in the country in our sport.
“The dedication that Iz and Kate have shown, not just over the last four years but a full lifetime of work will hopefully be the biggest factor in our aim to bring those medals back from the Games.”
On the prospect of a first Olympic appearance with spectators in the stands, Izzy said: “I’m so excited to have been selected for my second Olympic Games. I’m really looking forward to swimming in front of lots of friends and family, and hopefully making them and the country proud.”
Duet partner Kate added: “Being selected for Paris is so exciting! There’s even more ‘fight’ going into it this time around because we already have the experience of Tokyo. We are so excited to swim in front of our friends and family and feel them cheering us on loudly from the audience.”
Image Credit – TeamGB
A brother and sister duo from Stockport Metro are hoping for a super summer after reaching the finals of a national and international swimming championships.
Siena and George Oxby, who train daily at the hugely successful swimming club run by Life Leisure, have set their sights on the Paralympics 2028 after beating off stiff competition at the National Para Swimming Championships and World Para Series.
Siena, 15, has been selected for the World Para Championships which take place in Manchester in July and has been tipped for future paralympic glory by her coaches. And George, 17 will compete at the British Swimming Summer Nationals in Sheffield.
Both Siena and George train daily with Stockport Metro under the expert guidance of Ciaran Beard Jones, former SM junior international swimmer.
Rick Hall, head of performance swimming at Life Leisure, said: “We are really excited about what both Siena and George can achieve in their swimming and they have both put in some fantastic performances recently at major national and international meets.
“They work very hard and train both mornings and evenings within our National Youth Squad with coach Ciaran Beard Jones and myself in the mornings.”
“For Siena to be told she has medal potential for the LA 2028 Paralympic is a real confidence boost – she is still relatively new to para swimming and to swimming on the international stage, however we are confident through hard work and training within a performance environment at Stockport Metro, she can do very well.”
Both Siena and George swim in the S14 classification, which is for swimmers with an intellectual impairment.
Siena, who is originally from Denton and now lives with her family in Nantwich, held her own against some of the best swimmers in the world last month when she competed in the IPC World Series in Berlin, finishing as fastest in the SB14 category in the 50metre breaststroke . She will be the youngest member of the British team at the Manchester 2023 World Para Swimming Championships next month.
She said: “I’m really excited to have been selected for the World Championships. To be told that I’m ‘medal potential’ is incredibly exciting and just makes me want to train harder. It’s my dream to swim in the Paralympics so there’s going to be a lot of training!”
George, a student at Reaseheath College, won his second national gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Para Swimming Winter National Championships and will compete at the British Swimming Summer Nationals in Sheffield in July.
He said: “I really enjoy competing – it makes all the hard work worthwhile when you get a medal or achieve a personal best.”
Their mum Antonietta, who is an ultra-marathon runner, said the pair both showed an exceptional ability when they started swimming with Active Denton and Hyde Seals and Dolphins as youngsters.
She said: “I’m very competitive so they get that side from me, but they were both natural swimmers from being very young.
“They both continue to impress me every day and their coaches are just fantastic at getting the best out of them. It just goes to show, regardless of ability, you can still go on to achieve great success. I’m very proud of them and will be cheering them on this Summer!”
Stockport Metro Swimming Club, based at Life Leisure Grand Central, is home to one of the most acclaimed coaching and competitive swimming. Led by a team of highly motivated assistant coaches and support staff, with access to some of the best facilities in the UK and more than 24 hours of pool and land training, the Junior & Youth Programmes provide comprehensive resources for swimmers who aspire to further their potential at local, regional, national and international level.
For more information about Stockport Metro go to https://stockportmetrosc.org.uk/ or for more about Life Leisure go to https://www.lifeleisure.net/.
Only one week to go until a Race For The Sea with world-famous athletes.
Ross Edgley challenges Scotsman and one of the most successful Olympic cyclists of all time, Sir Chris Hoy, to the first ever ‘Race For The Sea’ on World Ocean Day in June.
A challenge never before attempted will be one of speed across Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, with Ross swimming and Chris cycling. The finish line will be on the shores of the Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye, to raise awareness for ocean conservation and the need to protect our seas.
Two sportsmen, two sports, the wild shores of Skye, Scotland: this challenge will be taken on to raise awareness of Talisker and Parley’s ongoing efforts towards ocean conservation, and the launch of their latest product collaboration, the distillery’s first 100% recycled glass bottle, Talisker x Parley: Wilder Seas Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
With every bottle made, £3 has been donated to support three key ocean conservation projects in Scotland, South Africa and Chile, continuing their dedication, passion and connection to the sea.
Imagery Courtesy of Jonty Storey – Talisker
When the Commonwealth Games commence. Alice Dearing, one of 4 co-founders of the BSA and the first-ever Black female Swimmer representing Team GB in the Tokyo Olympics, and the BSA proudly celebrate the tangible action the BSA has taken, working with underrepresented communities in Aquatics and Ed Accura’s defining documentaries.The Black Swimming Association (BSA) was founded by Ed Accura, with Seren Jones, Danielle Obe and Alice Dearing. The BSA was set up two years ago to champion inclusivity, representation, and diversity in aquatics; highlighting the value of swimming as an essential life-saving skill and showcasing aquatic opportunities and aquatic career pathways which are otherwise invisible to African, Caribbean and Asian communities.
The BSA says “Swimming is for everyone, and swimming is the only sport that is also a vital life skill. The BSA was established to highlight the value of swimming as a vital life skill to prevent drownings by tackling previously unaddressed inequities and under-representation within the aquatics sector and ultimately increasing visibility and participation in aquatic sports. Since then, we have amplified the voice of the African, Caribbean and Asian communities and taken tangible action, with our work having direct relevance to over 6.9m people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in the UK who are currently not aquatically active or water safety aware.”
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND, out on VOD globally from July 4th via www.blackscantswim.com, produced by BSA co-founder Accura, follows the success of his previous two films, Blacks Can’t Swim and Blacks Can’t Swim: The Sequel, and highlights the issue behind the fact that 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children do not swim, similarly, 93% of Asian adults and 78% of Asian children do not swim (Sport England).
In this third film, we hear the harrowing recount of an 8-year-old child about their lived experience swimming in school “In class… we would get sectioned and then the Caucasians go on one side and they go to swim, and then the Black people go and do football or dodgeball, and they think because we are Black we can’t swim, but we can swim”. Barriers to swimming include racial bias and predisposed systemic discrimination even at primary school age; the BSA want to act as a bridge with communities and the aquatic sector in order to dismantle racial bias, inequitable access and lack of inclusion within swimming and aquatics. Inclusion for all not at the exclusion of some must be met by acknowledging and catering to the needs of the most marginalised groups.
Accura said the film documentary has already superseded its expectation and propelled it to another level: “The aim was to continue highlighting the issue of a disproportionate number of African, Caribbean and Asians that do not swim, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it has already given the youth involved the motivation, direction, and hope to seek a better life,”.
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND follows two separate stories, of both a 15-year-old boy and a girl respectively. Both struggle with the effects of the stigmas and stereotypes that have helped shape the narrative and thought process as to why the disproportionate number of African, Caribbean and Asians in England do not swim.
Javell is a 15-year-old boy, from a low socioeconomic background struggling with general direction and motivation of realistic career and life choices. He is presented with a career choice that could change his life forever, but will his disengagement with swimming be an obstacle?
Tyra is a 15-year-old girl from a middle-class background who has swum all her life and has the prospect of becoming an elite swimmer. Now, however, she is experiencing social, emotional and physical changes, which are making her consider walking away from swimming altogether.
Accura said the film documentary has already superseded its expectation and propelled it to another level: “The aim was to continue highlighting the issue of a disproportionate number of African, Caribbean and Asians that do not swim, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it has already given the youth involved the motivation, direction, and hope to seek a better life,”.
By working with mentoring charities like Kick Off@3, the documentary is not only highlighting the importance of water safety, drowning prevention, aquatic career pathways etc, it is now inspiring youth to put down the knife and walk away from crime.
Accura co-founded the Black Swimming Association (BSA) with Seren Jones, Danielle Obe and Alice Dearing. The BSA was set up two years ago to champion inclusivity, representation, and diversity in aquatics; highlighting the value of swimming as an essential life-saving skill and showcasing aquatic opportunities and aquatic career pathways which are otherwise invisible to African, Caribbean and Asian communities.
According to official figures released by Sport England, 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children do not swim, similarly, 93% of Asian adults and 78% of Asian children do not swim.
Danielle Obe, Chair for the BSA, said: “Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND” is an accurate representation of the barriers the Black community face when it comes to swimming, whether that stems from an inherited cultural belief, or simply not having the access, knowledge or confidence they need to get in the pool. The BSA is proud to be working with Blacks Can’t Swim to address these issues head-on,”.
Blacks Can’t Swim is collaborating with the BSA and AKD Solutions to turn such experiences into qualitative and quantitative data. #OurSwimStory is the first social and behavioural research project in the industry, which will engage with more than 1,400 respondents in seven locations across England and Wales in its first phase, on a range of topics including socio-economic, cultural, attitudinal, behavioural and institutional barriers to participation in the aquatic activity.
“This is the first research project of its kind,” says Obe. “The purpose of our research is to provide clear academic and social evidence that will prove useful sector-wide, on exactly what needs to be done collaboratively with disenfranchised communities to make aquatics more open, inclusive and equitably accessible to all.”
Ed has shared the final trailer ahead of the film’s release.
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND is scheduled for a global release on 4th July 2022
www.blackscantswim.com #BCStheCONVO #BCSREWIND
Ed Accura, the producer behind the feature film documentaries A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim and Blacks Can’t Swim: The Sequel, has announced the follow-up, Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND. The film features scripted scenes combined with real interview footage. Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND will be coming to digital download from 4th July 2022.
Blacks Can’t Swim: The Sequel told the stories, fears and anxieties of 14 to 26-year-olds and the reasons why they do or do not swim. Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND speaks with the parents and adults within the African, Caribbean, and Asian communities to understand the effects their relationship with water has had on their children.
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND follows two separate stories – that of both a 15-year-old boy and a girl. Both struggle with the effects of the stigmas and stereotypes that have helped shaped the narrative and thought process as to why a disproportionate number of Black and Asians in England do not swim. Javell is a 15-year-old boy, from a low socioeconomic background struggling with general direction and motivation of realistic career and life choices. He is presented with a career choice that could change his life forever, but will his disengagement with swimming be an obstacle?
Tyra is a 15-year-old girl from a middle-class background who has swum all her life and has the prospect of becoming an elite swimmer. Now, however, she is experiencing social, emotional and physical changes, which are making her consider walking away from swimming altogether.
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND is an evolution of Blacks Can’t Swim: The Sequel, and the original film documentary, A Film Called Blacks Can’t Swim, which included interspersed interview footage and animation about Accura’s own fear of water, which eventually led to him taking swim lessons.
Blacks Can’t Swim: REWIND is coming to Digital Download on 4th July 2022
Team GB ensured their place in the history books as they won the inaugural mixed 4x100m medley relay at an Olympic Games with a mesmerising world record swim at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The quartet of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin delivered a dominant display to smash the world record by 0.83s in a time of 3:37.58, ahead of China and Australia.
It continued a remarkable competition for British swimmers, who now have four golds in their cabinet – the most for Team GB at a single Olympics since 1908 – and with the men’s 4x100m medley relay to come on Sunday, a fifth title could yet be secured for the first time ever.
Peaty, who will go again in Sunday’s relay, joined his compatriot Tom Dean as the first male British swimmer to win double gold at a Games since 1908 as he was typically dominant during the breaststroke leg – clocking a barely-believable split of 56.78.
Despite a slight slip off the wall at the start, backstroker Dawson had produced an impressive opening leg, sitting second of the teams who led off with women.
Dawson, 23, from Warrington, said: “I wasn’t going to let them bully me, I was going to swim my own race and it didn’t matter if it was two guys or two girls I was up against.”
Peaty chewed up the deficit to the three countries that started male-male and left the rest trailing.
Peaty, 26, from Uttoxeter, said: “I feel great. I was just trying to keep it as calm as I could, I get a bit carried away, especially when it’s for the team.
“It’s amazing to be swimming alongside these amazing women and Jimmy [James Guy].
“I knew that if I went out too hard, I wasn’t coming back. I just had to show my experience and maturity, not try to chase down the Americans.
“We’re the champions, let’s go and enjoy it.
“We’ve got champions who believe we can win and who believe we can break world records.
“If you’ve got belief, you can build everything around that.”
Guy then swam 50 seconds dead on the butterfly leg to put Team GB in complete control, with the decision to withdraw from his men’s 100m butterfly race to be ready for the relays paying off.
Guy, 25, from Bury, said: “It’s my fastest split ever by 0.5 seconds. Gold medal, world record, you can’t beat that, especially when it’s for the team.
“I was quite upset [about pulling out of the 100m butterfly] – I cried again, obviously – but it has paid off and it was worth it to go and do that time.
“To do this with one of my best mates in Adam and the two girls, we’re all northerners – it’s amazing!”
Hopkin never looked likely to relinquish the lead on the freestyle as she touched the wall 1.28s ahead of China in second.
Hopkin, 25, from Chorley, said: “I was trying not to think about how far ahead we were from them because it’s just irrelevant when you’re there and in a race.
“When I turned, I saw I had a bit of clear water and I just went for it. It’s an amazing feeling and I’m so privileged to be part of this team.”
The United States – the only team to go with a male freestyler – had left superstar Caeleb Dressel too much to do as they came home fifth.
In what has been an historic gala for Team GB’s swimmers, this latest success only added to the legend.