Community organisations and Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGBs) came together on Wednesday 20 November to progress race equality in Scottish sport.
Around 20 SGBs were represented along with a range of community organisations working across different areas of sport across the country. Discussions throughout the day were focused on ways the sporting sector can work together to make an impact on race equality in Scottish sport.
The delegates also heard from people and organisations doing strong work in the areas of diversity and inclusion to find out more about best practices.
Speakers included Arun Kang OBE (CEO of Sporting Equals), Raza Sadiq (Chair of Active Life Club), Faiza Baqir (Head of Coach at Well Foundation) and Enoch Adeyemi (Co-founder of Black Scottish Adventurers).
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Steve Frew talked about his sporting journey. A journey which saw him make history by winning Scotland’s first ever gold medal in Gymnastics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Steve represented GB and Scotland over 100 times, competed at five Commonwealth Games and two World Championships
Steve said: "It was great to see so many people in the sporting sector who are out to deliver change.
"If we all keep doing what we've always done, nothing will change. It just takes one person to make a massive difference, and that person could be you."
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop spoke of the national agency for sport’s commitment to creating an anti-racist framework for sport.
He said: “Our role as the national agency for sport is to provide leadership to the sporting sector, to influence the changes needed to address inequalities and ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part and progress in sport.
“We are committed to creating the environment for change in the sporting sector and ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in our work.
“The conference has provided an excellent opportunity for learnings and discussions on how we can progress towards that goal.”
Arun Kang OBE, CEO of Sporting Equals, said: “We are delighted to have hosted the inaugural race equality in sport conference with sportscotland, it’s a great step towards creating a more inclusive sporting landscape for ethnically diverse communities across Scotland.”
