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.”