Two-year update on race in sport review

20 Jul 2023 01:23 PM

The Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport (TRARIIS) review was published in 2021, us and the other UK sports councils have published six-monthly update since then, below is the joint update at two years since publication

When the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s (ICEC) damning report was published last month, it revealed some of the familiar issues within cricket that the Tackling Racism and Racial Inequality in Sport (TRARIIS) review had highlighted about the wider sporting system two years earlier.

ICEC Chair Cindy Butts said: “The evidence is unequivocal: racism is a serious issue in cricket. Racism, in all its forms, continues to shape the experience of, and opportunities for many in the game.”

The report recognised the structural barriers to participation resulting in the underrepresentation of ethnically diverse communities in the game and criticised the lack of targeted interventions to address the well-documented decline, over many years, in Black cricket in England and Wales.

It reported a lack of trust in reporting discrimination and a fear of victimisation on the part of those who were brave enough to do so.

The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) has noted its determination not to waste this wake-up call for cricket and has committed to producing a plan of action to address the issues.

The TRARIIS review represents our own call to action and since our last update in January 2023, the five Home Country Sports Councils have maintained persistent focus on actions and initiatives to address its recommendations.

The TRARIIS symposium

As mentioned in our January update, the five sports councils will host a TRARIIS symposium for our funded partners during Black History Month, in October.

This will be an opportunity to: 

  • reaffirm our own commitment to this crucial work
  • learn more about what the sports councils and sports organisations are doing to become anti-racist and share good practice with the sector  
  • hear what obstacles we are facing in implementing necessary changes, and consider practical support to help us achieve our goals 
  • focus on how we tackle this collectively as a system.

We are working closely with the TRARIIS stakeholder group in the planning and delivery of the symposium and will report the outcomes in our next update.

What each sports council is doing

Our latest review, below, gives a detailed summary of the activity that each sports council has undertaken since January.

Sport England

Workforce Insight Report

In response to the TRARIIS review findings, Sport England has been working with the Chartered Institue for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity to ensure that the 2023 Workforce Insight Report includes more detail on the demographic profile of the paid sport and physical activity workforce. The report is being reviewed and is due to be published early this autumn.

Race Code Governance Review

A Race Code Governance Review has been commissioned to ensure there is collective leadership and accountability for race equality and anti-racist practice. Sport England’s executive and senior leadership teams have completed an organisational questionnaire looking at their perceptions, systems, processes and documentation, with further sessions highlighting areas where action is needed. The final review is due to be published in early autumn, and they have committed to working through the recommendations made.

  • UK Sport 

Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan support project

Over 75% of UK Sport and Sport England’s tier three funded partners have already started working on robust and ambitious Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs) for their organisations, since the launch of the joint UK Sport-Sport England DIAP support project at the start of the year. DIAPs include meaningful measures to address underrepresentation on their board, senior leadership team and wider organisation.

Diverse summer internships

UK Sport will be hosting five interns from diverse ethnic backgrounds for a six-week internship this summer – three from the 10,000 black interns project, one from social impact organisation Badu Sports and one from the University of East London.

Diverse leadership development programme

Due to start this autumn, UK Sport is creating a leadership development programme for ethnically diverse talent to help address their significant underrepresentation in the high-performance workforce, particularly in leadership and management roles. The programme will enhance candidate’s leadership capabilities and accelerate their career progression by providing them access, training and support.

Data analysis of World Class Programmes

As one of their equality, diversity and inclusion strategic priorities, UK Sport has completed extensive data capture and analysis of the diversity of current funded athletes within the World Class Programme (WCP). The insights form part of a broader project to better understand how WCPs can become more equal, diverse and inclusive.   

  • Sport Northern Ireland

Lottery investment into equality, inclusion and diversity

A total of £6.5 million has been awarded to 35 sports as part of Sport Northern Ireland’s new Lottery investment programme. The programme will help sport governing bodies develop the sports system in Northern Ireland against eight priority areas, one of which is equality, diversity and inclusion.

They are also contributing to the Northern Ireland Executive Office Review of the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997, to ensure the new legislation is fit for purpose.

  • sportscotland

Sporting Equals partnership

sportscotland has partnered with Sporting Equals to develop the sport workforce and organisations so they can empower ethnically diverse communities and individuals, offer expert advice on sport and race equality, and build allyship and share good practice. 

Development and networking for diverse ethnic communities in sport

Through Sporting Equals' LeaderBoard Academy, sportscotland plan to provide development, mentoring, networking and shadowing opportunities for diverse ethnic communities in sport. In June, the sportscotland head of communications and corporate marketing manager attended a one-day workshop run by Pass the Mic, an organisation created by anti-racism activist Talat Yaqoob to tackle the under representation and misrepresentation of women of colour in Scotland’s public life and media. 

Sport media workshops

sportscotland will be working in partnership with Scottish Television (STV) on their media workshop initiative STV Expert Voices. Later this year, they will deliver sport-specific workshops providing practical tips and advice to underrepresented groups, equipping them with the confidence and skills required to appear on STV’s programmes.

Investment in anti-racist initiatives

sportscotland has invested £12,000 across several anti-racist learning opportunities and initiatives since the last update, including the race and racial equalities conference which explored the role of sport in increasing opportunities, removing barriers and engaging diverse communities. They sponsored the Herald Gen Analytics Diversity conference looking at topics such as pushing through barriers, data, AI and inequality. They have also committed to further funding for the Diversity Awards later this year.

They also sponsored the British Kabaddi League finals at Bellahouston Sports Centre, and the two Scottish teams – Glasgow Unicorns and Edinburgh Eagles, with sportscotland Head of Communications attending with Sports Minister Maree Todd.

Diverse International Women’s Day celebrations

For the first time sportscotland supported and attended the Scottish Ethnic Minority Sport Association’s International Women’s Day celebration in March.

  • Sport Wales

A dedicated investment advisor for diverse communities

Sport Wales has created a new community investment advisor role using Welsh Government Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) funding and building on the insights gathered through their community investments discovery work. The role will engage clubs and organisations who are supporting those from diverse ethnic backgrounds in sport.

It will also focus on identifying networks and organisations that have traditionally been underserved by Sport Wales funding, growing their awareness and confidence in securing funding, and leveraging the relationship to open other opportunities to connect groups with other Sport Wales partners. It will also support any applications from clubs representing these communities, or with high membership from those from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

A network of change makers

Future plans with the ARWAP also include funding a network of community change makers who will also support the Sport Wales relationship engagement. These roles will link in with the community investment advisor to ensure that there is tangible and financial support to identified partnerships.

Celebrating and raising awareness of Ramadan

Sport Wales hosted a midnight Ramadan sport programme at the home of Welsh Sport, the Sport Wales National Centre with the Foundation for Sport Coaching. Throughout Ramadan, there were sporting activities, including the chance to experience the high-performance athlete area and workshops to understand more about the celebration and how it impacts sport.