Breastfeeding Olympic athletes can bring their babies to the Tokyo games

• Basketball player, Kim Gaucher, said she couldn't bring her breastfeeding baby to the Olympics.
• Gaucher said she was forced to choose between being a mom or an Olympic athlete.
• Family visitor restrictions were originally in place to stem COVID-19 spread.

Although Olympian family members aren't allowed to attend the Toyko Summer Games in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made an exception for breastfeeding babies.

On June 25, Kim Gaucher, a 37-year-old Canadian basketball player, took to Instagram to talk about her dilemma. "I'm being forced to decide between being a breastfeeding mom or an Olympic athlete," Gaucher said in a video.

Gaucher also said that international media and Japanese citizens are allowed to attend, but her three-month-old baby, who relies on her for nutrition, was prohibited from attending.

At first, Gaucher said she tried to make appeals to bring her baby to Tokyo, but those requests didn't work. It wasn't until she used the internet that the IOC changed their guest rules.

"We are very pleased to hear that the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee has found a special solution regarding the entry to Japan for mothers who are breastfeeding and their young children," the IOC said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.

Gaucher said this decision is a step in the right direction for women athletes. "There can be moments of frustration, but I think women's sports is evolving and sometimes it takes a little bit of time for everyone to get on the same page," Gaucher told the AP.