This Olympic Swimmer Used Her Period As a Teachable Moment

I lost because I had my period, said Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui after finishing fourth in the 4x100m relay final on Saturday.

The swimmer won legions of fans last week with her hilarious reaction in the middle of her “defeat speech” after realising she had actually taken home a medal in the women’s 100m backstroke.

She apologised to her teammates Lu Ying, Shi Jinglin and Zhu Menghui for her performance.

Fu has become a popular competitor of the games and she has established herself as somewhat of a national treasure in China. The interviewer asked Yuanhui if she was suffering from stomach pain, as she had doubled over clutching her midsection. She added, “But this isn’t an excuse for not swimming well”.

But it’s still rare enough to be a big deal – and it’s an especially big deal for women in China.

“It was one of those things that was all hushed up”, Croft recalled to the Guardian about her own bad period striking during competition. A Sina Weibo user commented Fu is breaking the mold in discussing her discomfort. Some men wondered if she would “turn the pool red”.

Again, the lack of conversation around menstruation and sex education in China is to blame for comments like that.

For women, though, period stigma is used to justify discrimination against them. Only this month is a domestic tampon brand launching in the country. Up until now, tampons were only available online or in high-end stores in urban areas.

When she was asked whether she had stomach problems or not, Fu didn’t hesitate to let the world know that she was worn out because she had her period the day before, not that she was using that as an excuse.

So a Chinese swimmer came out yesterday and talked with the media about getting her period during the Olympics and how the whole experience kind of affects the way she competes.