YANQING, China — Just as it was becoming clear that Sheina Vaspi had the talent and drive to compete internationally, she faced a difficult choice.
Her athletic passion — or her religion. Ski racing or her skirt.
“The person who told her that was me,” said Inbal Pezaro, Vaspi’s friend, mentor and occasional interpreter.
Pezaro, a former Paralympic swimmer, knew from her racing days that the governing bodies of international sports are often strict about uniforms. Pezaro feared her friend would not be allowed to compete while still adhering to her faith.
But Vaspi did not despair.