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Organisations Rally To Make Sport More Equal And Diverse

Written by MOS Editorial Team

Published on 19 December 2022

The first equality and diversity news of 2022 came in January, where the Australian Open celebrated ‘Australian Open Pride Day’. Fast Forward a month to February, where women’s sport took a major step forward when the USWNT agreed to a settlement for $24 million, which came on the same day Football Australia announced their Reconciliation Action Plan.

At the end of February, Senator Claire Chandler announced her ‘save women’s sport’ bill which aimed to amend gender disclination laws. In March, a report from Fair Game outlined major issues in gender equality and diversity among football boards, which was followed by the AFL announcing a partnership to support the social and emotional well-being of indigenous athletes.

Discussions around transgender athletes hit the news once again in June when FINA restricted them from competing in elite women’s competitions, which was followed by FIFA announcing their decision to review their policies at the end of the year.

AOC president, Ian Chesterman also hit the news, saying the organisation will leave it up to the sports to decide:

The thing we constantly need to focus on is the fact that sport needs to be inclusive. We need to create opportunities for every young Australian and, particularly, if you come from a marginalised group. We need to be encouraging you to be using sport as part of your development and your growth. There does come a point in time when we move through being involved in sport to at a point in elite competition where there is a need to have a fair competition, and each sport will decide how they achieve that balance.

Following this, the US DOJ filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Cubs in July, with the lawsuit being for the alleged discrimination against disabled people.

In August, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team published their sustainability report, which also showed that 38% of all new workers who joined the organisation in 2021 were from an under-represented group, this was followed by Wheelchair Rugby Australia becoming an independent body.

AOC President Transgender Decision

Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president, Ian Chesterman, followed the lead of the IOC in setting policies for transgender participation.

As a result, each sporting body will be able to set rules around transgender athletes that are most suitable for the sport.

The prominent aspect of setting policy for most sports is the balance between fairness and inclusivity.

Most sports that have already made decisions, including FINA, FIFA and rugby league, have moved to ban transgender athletes from participating in elite women’s competition.

FFA Reconciliation Action Plan

Football Australia have created a reconciliation action plan to improve relationships with Indigenous Australian communities.

The plan states three core values of relationships, respect and opportunities as a way to foster growth in the football community.

The National Indigenous Advisory Group, co-chaired by former Socceroo Jade North, assisted Football Australia in developing the plan.

Football Australia also outlined their plan for reconciliation with six key objectives, relating to the empowerment and recognition of Indigenous culture and talent.

There are also hopes of improving recruitment of Indigenous Australians and showcasing the Indigenous football community and the pioneers of the game.

The NZ Rugby Board acknowledges that we have not met Sport NZ’s requirement … and the subsequent financial penalty for non-compliance – Stewart Mitchell, NZ Rugby Chairman

NZ Rugby Fined For Diversity Targets

Sport New Zealand fined New Zealand Rugby NZ$280,000 for failing to meet gender diversity targets.

Nation-wide, Sport New Zealand require organisations to have females make up at least 40% of the board of directors.

New Zealand Rugby was the only one of the country’s 65 sporting bodies that didn’t meet the target.

The fine will be paid out of planned funding from Sport New Zealand.

New Zealand Rugby say the fine won’t affect their operation and hope to rebalance their board of directors during next April’s annual general meeting.

NFL Trevor Project

The NFL renewed their support of the Trevor Project, which is a mental health and youth suicide prevention organisation.

The NFL pledged US$100,000 for a second year, promising to match the donation of Tampa Bay athlete, Carl Nassib.

Nassib was the first active NFL player to come out as gay and has donated US$100,000 to the Trevor Project.

The NFL will also participate in education sessions and volunteer with the Trevor Project to help improve the lives of LGBTQ youths.

Department Of Justice Sues Cubs

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit for discrimination in the Illinois court against MLB team Chicago Cubs.

The DOJ alleged that the Cubs made changes to their home ground, Wrigley Field, which made it harder for physically impaired people to access the stadium and its facilities.

Upgrades to the ground began in 2014, with the aim of offering ‘an enhanced game-day experience for premium fans and those looking for luxury accommodations.

The lawsuit from the DOJ claimed the upgrades didn’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act because they removed premium wheelchair seating and neglected to replace those seats in the new grandstand.

The Cubs were also accused of relocating wheelchair seats to unsuitable areas and segregating them from the crowd, as well as having an inadequate press box for physically impaired reporters.

In response, the Cubs claimed to have increased accessibility by 50% with accessible seating, elevators, disabled toilets and assistive learning technology.

To round out 2022..

In October, the NFL announced a partnership with mental health and suicide prevention company, Trevor Project, while the Premier League endorsed the Rainbow Laces initiative. Then in November, several national teams stood down from the One Love campaign, which was signed in the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.