And the argument was that, in general, black people can't swim, and therefore do not aspire to be SEALS, or cannot pass the tests.
And I say it's all mental.
Not so much mental as cultural. Swimming pools and sun bathing are for Whites, swimming for exercise is boring and non-social.
While some might say that track is non-social and boring too, track does not require that a Black person learn a skill in which they are out of their cultural comfort zone.