Artistic swimmer who pushed for equality in the pool now has a shot at being an Olympian

Bill May, a 45-year-old artistic swimmer, has qualified for the Olympics following a rule change that allows men to participate in the sport. "When I was little, people would ask me, 'Why would you want to do a sport where you can't go to the Olympics?'" May said. "Every time someone would tell me no, I'd say, 'Watch me. You're going to see me at the Olympic Games. You're going to tell me no, and I'm going to say yes.'"Artistic swimming previously had a no-boys-allowed rule at the Olympics. May watched from the sidelines at the 2004 Athens Olympics as his teammates won bronze. He then stepped away from competition and into the spotlight of Cirque du Soleil's show "O.""I worked for Cirque du Soleil for 18 years," May said. A 2022 Olympic rule change now allows up to two men on each artistic team starting at the Paris Games.May is one of the athletes who qualified for Team USA's first Olympic artistic team in nearly 18 years. "We have the honor to have Bill May, who has been the pioneer to making this shift. And because of him, all the boys who have the passion for this can do it," said Andrea Fuentes, Olympic coach. "I think now that men are allowed, it's only going to open the doors for men to be in the sport and just from our families and people around the world to say, OK, this sport is inclusive," May said.Men were a big part of this sport when it was being developed in the first half of the 20th century. They started being excluded for reasons like being less flexible, less buoyant, and even too big. Fuentes can only take eight swimmers to Paris, which means cuts are coming. When asked if she is committed to having a mixed team with both genders, she responded, "I really want to. But at the same time, I have to make sure it's fair in the sense that I have to put out the best athletes.""You know, I can taste it. I can feel the buzz with the Olympics, and I really want to be there," May said. "Now, to say I'm going to the Olympic games, it's something for myself, but it's also something for my sport, with inclusivity, equality, and equity. That's what any athlete wants."Fuentes will name the final eight artistic swimmers for the Olympic team next week.