Promoting inclusion: strategies to combat discrimination in sport
Hate speech is often intertwined with discriminatory beliefs, fuelling division within societies, and undermining the unifying and inclusive potential of sport.
Acknowledging this reality underlines the urgent need to combat racism, ethnic discrimination, sexism, and social exclusion while fostering mutual respect across all sports, including the online realm and stadiums.
From this perspective, one of the most powerful strategies is to proactively develop and implement educational initiatives.
By nurturing principles of mutual respect and inclusion from an early age, we strengthen the foundations of our communities.
These programmes act as a shield against intolerance and ensure that future generations embrace diversity and champion unity.
#SportIsRespect
Country: Italy
Organisation responsible: FIGC
Main topic addressed: Fight against racism, sexism, online abuse, discrimination against refugees and homophobia.
Type of resource/practice: Campaign and educational programme
Approach: Prevention
Target group(s): Youth
Timing: January 2023
Language: English
Brief description of the practice: The programme is conceived as part of the Sustainability Strategy of all the UEFA Associations for the dissemination of values linked to the fight against discrimination at the youth level.
Context and objectives: The programme aims to provide real educational tools for young people and schools to raise awareness and tackle racism, sexism, online abuse, discrimination against refugees and homophobia.
Steps/activities of the practice: Training programmes
Follow-up ideas and future plans: The Youth and Scholastic Sector of the FIGC, together with the Communication area, is defining the methods of dissemination together with the translation into Italian of the Materials Toolkit.
Recognising the discriminatory motives behind hate speech targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics, the project is also designed with the objective of eradicating homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia, thereby promoting an inclusive environment where hate has no chance.
For more comprehensive information, we invite you to explore the Gaynet and Outsport websites, together with the CoE-EU Joint initiatives, implemented under the auspices of the Anti-Discrimination department. These endeavours are focused on combating anti-LGTBIQ violence and hate speech, while concurrently bolstering efforts to raise awareness and disseminate fact-based narratives regarding LGTBIQ individuals.
