'I'm in baby': Liz Cambage backflips on Olympics boycott threat
Opals star Liz Cambage has backflipped on her threat to boycott the Tokyo Olympics after taking aim at the Australian Olympic teams promotional photos last week.
On Friday, Cambage hit out at what she claimed was a lack of racial diversity in Australian Olympic team promotional photos, threatening to boycott the Games in protest.
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The two-time Olympian took exception to two separate photos - one released last week showing athletes from Australia's Olympic and Paralympic teams in apparel supplied by sponsor Jockey, but without a person of colour.
The second photo showed athletes at the launch of the Australian team's official uniforms for the Tokyo Olympics.
Cambage's post sparked headlines after she wrote: “Y’all really do anything to remove POCs [people of colour] from the forefront when it’s black athletes leading the pack."
"Until i see y’all doing more @ausolympicteam imma sit this one out."
Cambage's comments sparked criticism and a storm on social media, with many agreeing with her sentiments, while others took aim at the manner in which she aired them.
The controversy prompted teammate and Aussie basketball great Lauren Jackson to weigh-in on the drama.
But on Tuesday morning, Cambage took to Instagram to allay fears and said she would be playing for the Opals at the Olympics.
"So for everyone so desperately wondering what my decision is for the Opals...I am in baby," she said.
"How can I sit out when we have the bodysuits back, I am going to look so good in it. And I am going to play with my sisters who I have been playing with since I was a 'wee' little thing.
"For all those all those young brown kids playing back in Australia, I am going to do it for you."
Cambage hits back at 'hate' messages
Cambage went on to address the 'hate' messages and criticism she has received after taking aim at the promotional photos.
"All the hate you give me, I love it. It makes me go harder and push for more," she said.
"So thank you for all the messages of love and thank you for all the messages of hate. Because the hate turns me on, and the love lifts me up. And I am not going to stop for no one or nothing."
WNBA star Cambage is one of the most important players in an Australian side that will head to Tokyo as a strong Olympic medal chance, and her absence would have represented a massive blow to those chances.
Opals teammate Lauren Nicholson is set to fly to Japan with the Australian side, but denied the Cambage drama will be a distraction to the side.
“She’s had such a great career with the national team. She loves the green and gold, she wears it with pride," Jackson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We are an inclusive sport,” Nicholson told the Herald.
“She obviously adds a lot to the Opals. We are just focusing on the Olympics and what we can do to win.”
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