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read moreSport Integrity Australia Chief Executive David Sharpe has called on leaders in sport to use the power of their brands to drive cultural reform in Australian sport.
Speaking yesterday, Sharpe (pictured) said that while he wished that sporting headlines should focus on the performances of athletes, instead they are being dominated by cultural problems in sport, including allegations of racism.
While critical of the downplaying of these issues by influential people in Australian sport, Sharpe stated “attitudes won’t change until the narrative changes.
“Sport and sponsors’ brands are being aligned with poor behaviours yet these brands have the power to drive a cultural shift to eradicate these poor behaviours.”
Explaining that commentary attempting to normalise or justify these behaviours needs to be called out by leaders in Australian sport, Sharpe noted “it is 2024, not 1924, and there must be zero-tolerance when it comes to racism in sport.
“Any inappropriate comments, whatever they are in nature, are not just a bit of ‘banter’ or ‘just fun and games on the field’.
“There are no excuses for slurs that could be interpreted as racist in nature. If the comments cause hurt, then intent is irrelevant. If the comments offend an individual, they also offend their families, their countries, their culture.”
Former champion sprinter and Sport Integrity Australia’s Culture and Safety Advisor, Patrick Johnson, said there’s no place for racism in Australian society, adding “sport brings people together and it needs to reflect and mirror our actions, values and aspiration as a society and country.
“We need to draw a clear line in the sand.
“We are all responsible to call out racism, we do not tolerate it in our sport now or in the future, our kids deserve better as this doesn’t represent our Australian way of life.”
Urging everyone involved in sport to call out poor behaviour, Sharpe went on to say “we see strong messages sent to fans and crowds found guilty of racist slurs with lengthy penalties.
“These same sanctions need to apply to athletes. Australian sports leaders and sponsors must send a message to the world in the lead up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. The world is watching. Eradicating racism in sport is the legacy we could be proud of.”
11th March 2024 - Patrick Johnson awarded 2023 IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award for Oceania
8th January 2024 - Federal Government announces Sport Integrity Australia funding package
14th December 2023 - WAIS announces new Board Directors and adoption of sport integrity framework
11th December 2023 - IOC highlights its efforts undertaken towards sport integrity
20th September 2023 - Victoria University and SIA educate sports sector on current integrity threats
17th August 2023 - New data from Starlizard Integrity Services identifies 79 suspicious football matches in 2023
8th August 2023 - Five sports first to sign up to Sport Integrity Australia’s safeguarding program
10th July 2023 - Victoria University’s Hans Westerbeek shares insights on emerging challenges in sport integrity
8th July 2023 - Sport Integrity Australia commits to inclusion with membership of Pride in Sport
7th July 2023 - Sport Integrity Australia hosts representatives from New Zealand’s Integrity Transition Programme
22nd June 2023 - WAIS provides update on implementation of Sport Integrity Australia report recommendations
16th June 2023 - Anti-racism and diversity among research areas funded to support Victorian women in sport
15th June 2023 - Sport Integrity Australia launches its Safety in Sport Division
31st May 2023 - AFL ends racism investigation into Hawthorn trio
11th March 2023 - Commissioner calls for coordinated response from Australian sporting sector to address spectator racism
17th November 2021 - Human Rights Commission releases guidelines to address spectator racism in sport
23rd October 2020 - Former Collingwood player Héritier Lumumba sues AFL and club over alleged racism
26th June 2020 - Founder Greg Glassman sells CrossFit in aftermath of racism backlash
15th August 2019 - NRL Chief Executives re-enforce zero tolerance approach to racism and abuse of players
7th June 2019 - AFL issues ‘unreserved’ apology over racism faced by Adam Goodes
4th August 2015 - AFL Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan says the sport has zero tolerance for racism
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