The British company that makes swim caps designed explicitly for Black hair announced their product can now be worn for competitive swimming races.
Soul Caps announced the news on Friday, saying that Swimming’s governing body Fédération Internationale De Natation (FINA) had approved their caps, which are designed for Black swimmers’ natural hair.
"It’s been a long road getting here, with plenty of ups and downs on the way," the company said in a blog post on its website. "But the truth is: we couldn’t have done it without you. So from everyone here at SOUL CAP, we want to thank all of you in the swim community for coming together to share your voices and raise awareness about accessibility and inclusion in the sport."
As of Sept. 1, Soul Cap is listed on FINA's "approved swimwear" webpage.
In a statement, FINA's executive director Brent Nowicki said he was “delighted” that the caps were added to their list of approved equipment.
Last July, the swimming federation denied the company's approval for their swim caps to be worn by athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.
One of the reasons the caps were rejected by the group was because they didn't fit "the natural form of the head," Runners' World reported.
