The Fabiola Rule

The Fabiola Rule

From Sporting Witness by BBC World Service

April 18, 2026 · 10 min

About this episode

Fabiola Da Silva discusses her groundbreaking achievements in rollerblading and the impact of the Fabiola Rule.

In the 1990s, rollerblading had separate competitions for men and women. That changed in 2000, when the two were combined into one mixed competition. Brazilian Fabiola Da Silva was so good against the men that the change became known as the "Fabiola Rule". For more than a decade, she consistently finished in the top 10 against the men, defying expectations, and winning silver at the 2002 Latin X Games. Fabiola Da Silva tells Guy Kilty how it all happened. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some…

People in this episode

Host: Guy Kilty

Guest: Fabiola Da Silva

Topics covered

  • rollerblading
  • mixed competition
  • sports history
  • Fabiola Rule
  • women in sports

Keywords

  • rollerblading
  • Fabiola Da Silva
  • mixed competition
  • Latin X Games
  • sports history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC World Service

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