‘Mummy, why do all of the runners have black skin?’

[MoiraRoseIsMyQueen]

So, my 5-year-old has just asked this question while watching the 100m heats, and I’m struggling to answer! Does anyone have any advice on how to respond, without making generalisations or being racist? I am so sorry if I sound ignorant but I said ‘because people from Africa tend to be very good at running because of their genetics’ - and then thought that is probably not a good answer. Help!

I would say to a five year old - people look like their parents and have the similar appearance and colouring irrespective of where they are born. The different ethnicity originates from different ancestral geographical regions but we all came from the same origin when the world was created. The same with the animal world as with the human world.

In sport certain groups of peoples are interested in certain sports. There are many non black world class athletes like the famous Liu Xiang from China who won athletics sprint hurdles Olympic and World titles and held the world record.

In other sports like swimming and driving most of the top athletes are from East Asian or European origin. There are African swimmers but perhaps they prefer other sports.

In this Olympics one of the lady who lit the Tokyo 2020 torch has black skin as she is African and east Asian. People with all colour skin tones live globally and represent many Olympic teams. The skin colour makes no difference in sport as long as you try your best as anyone can win not just those leading the Olympic medals chart. Team GB has many athletes of all colours as it is a multiracial multinational team.

Then is the culture of the country they come fro. Which favours certain sports over others, such as Ice Hockey in Canada.

How deep do you want to go into the discussion that sport (and music ) is often seen as an “acceptable” career for black people, but that even within sports there are certain sports that black people are rarely seen competing in, and that conversely black people are under represented in many other roles, as for example teachers, lawyers, police officers, solicitors, elevated ranks in the armed forces, airline pilots.........

It’s not rude to talk about skin colour for goodness sake!

@Piggywaspushed. I was interested to read that article but quickly realised it was not a scientific paper but a social commentary by a guy who is an accountant/ photo journalist. Genetics and their associated impacts is a fascinating area and papers like that which are short of any scientific reasoning/ detail are not useful. Do you have links to any credible scientific papers which back up what he's arguing.

@Unfashionable

It’s not racist to say that people who come from different parts of the world tend to have different body shapes. Some people of West African heritage have bodies which are good at running very fast, and that some people of East African heritage have bodies which are very good at running long distances, some people of Northern European heritage are very big & strong so they are good at weightlifting, some people of Pacific Island heritage are both very big and very fast so they are very good at Rugby etc etc.

This is a really good way of explaining it.

I’m so glad I came across this thread. I was wondering that myself!

Just watched the women’s 100m finals and wow. The strength and speed! Amazing. I think the commentators said that 5 athletes ran 100m in under 11 seconds?!

Ds asked why the ladies were there and why they were so fast (he’s almost 4). I just said because they love running and work really hard to be the best.

He also asked why they all (bar the Ivory Coast athlete) had their belly buttons out.

Maybe don't say "people from Africa" because the Caribbean runners are not from Africa.

I suspect it’s not all down to genetics. There will be social economic factors at play.

@Fiddliestofsticks

Maybe don't say "people from Africa" because the Caribbean runners are not from Africa.

^this

[quote Piggywaspushed]mediadiversified.org/2016/08/19/its-not-about-the-genes-stupid/[/quote]
The author of that article is a chartered accountant. He makes some good points about stereotyping and socialisation, but he clearly doesn't understand sports science, or know much about it. He seems to think that only black athletes get their physiology and genetics studied, which couldn't be more wrong - there is a huge amount of research into the genetic and epigenetics of all athletes.

To go back to the OP, though, for a 5 year old, I'd go for something super-simple, that isn't going to cause offence if she shouts it in Tesco or repeats it to a black child at school, e.g. - "Some black people are very good at running".

@WaitinOnASonnyDay

In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics all the sprint medallists were black apart from one and he was also black.

I may be being a bit thick, but what?

Because the women at the Olympics are awesome at running?

Did he ask why the three 800m runners from GB are white and blonde?

I would be tempted to say that some of them would have gone into other walks of life, but racists or people with unconscious bias make it more difficult for them than other ethnicities. Too much perhaps for a five year old though.

Stick to the best people are chosen. Also get your child to watch some of the other events.

When talking genetics its not country specific - 'African' doesnt mean 'black', you have Caucasoid Africans across the north/medeterainian area - you also can get black skinned Mongoloid and Australoid people.

People of the Negroid genetic group (what we commonly think of as 'black' and 'African' people) genetically have denser bones than those of the Caucasoid, Australoid or Mongoloid genetic groups, this allows for more impact which increases running ability.

Heavier bones however decreases swimming ability... genetics gives and takes away.

Maybe don't say "people from Africa" because the Caribbean runners are not from Africa

I think most are originally through the slave trade.

And going way back to Pangea wasn’t South America /Caribbean Islands linked to Africa.

Why elaborate at all?

They just happen to be the best from their countries, this time.

Michael Johnson presented a very interesting documentary on this a number of years ago which also covered the potential link to the slave trade which in very crude terms was that only the fittest survived.

There were studies being done at that time but it was several years ago, possibly around the London Olympic Games so maybe debunked but it was fascinating at that time.

Of course it’s down to a lot of factors: social economic, cultural etc. But for 5yo something like @Unfashionable suggested is good enough.

@Insertfunnyname That is rubbish that "white bodies are better at swimming" - there have been and are long-standing discriminatory reasons/ideas towards black people relating to access to swimming, both at a learning and "elite" level.

It’s complete claptrap to say that “certain groups of people are interested in certain sports” and “as long as you try your best anyone can win” . Nice idea, but the chances of a 5’ person winning the high jump is nil, however passionate they might be about it.

Surely there are more dark skinned people in the world than light skinned people? So population size matters. Also, northern people with lighter skins tend to be better off and can learn expensive sports. On the whole more darker skinned people live in less developed countries and can access lower cost sports more widely which included running sports. It's not rude for children to raise these questions. The reason people have darker skin is because their ancestors have developed on hot countries and dark skin helps them in hot sun whereas a lot of sun harms lighter skinned people. These are all facts. But far too many for a 5 year old.

@Rege

I’d have turned it around a bit and asked if she noticed all the gymnasts, swimmers, cycling, hockey teams etc etc were white and what did she think of that?

You seriously didn't notice Kye Whyte, the BMX silver medallist who's been splashed all over the front pages? His win and the amazing, dedicated club behind it is such a great start to a conversation about how a 5-year-old win a gold medal in 15 years time.

It's fine to talk about skin colour.
Children ask questions wherever they come from.
Don't forget that some of the GB women are dark skinned too, and did us proud in the semi and the final.

I'd just say because they are the best in their country at running.