Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to tackle racism in sports other than football.

The Government is clear that racism has no place in sport, or society at large. The sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ has diversity and inclusion at its heart.

Sport England, UK Sport and the other home nations’ sports councils have recently published the results of a detailed, independent review into tackling racism and racial inequality in sport. Each Council is working to develop their own specific action plans to deliver on the initial commitments relating to people, representation, investment, systems and insight. This will involve working closely with relevant groups or communities to tackle racism in sport.

One area which is important in increasing inclusion in sport is the diversity of the sporting workforce and governance structures.The recently reviewed Code for Sport Governance requires all sporting bodies in receipt of substantial public funding from UK Sport and Sport England to have a detailed and ambitious diversity and inclusion action plan, which we hope will foster positive and lasting change.

The Government will continue to work with our arm’s length and national governing bodies, as well as sector partners such as Sporting Equals, to effectively tackle racism in sport at all levels. However it is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies, to decide on the specific aims and appropriate initiatives in their organisations, and to evaluate progress with these.