Two-year update on race in sport review

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.   

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.

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.

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.