This year has been a great one for sport: the return of
Wimbledon, and the delayed Euros, Olympics and Paralympics; there
have been many sports headlines that have kept the nation gripped
and talking. But in 2021 what’s been notable is that headlines
have gone beyond reporting on scores, winners, and who is moving
where. Many have put diversity and inclusion issues under the
spotlight, but some have demonstrated that there is still much to
do to fully embed diversity, inclusion and equity within
sport.

It’s great that we’ve seen footballers taking the knee to draw
attention to racial injustice but we’ve also seen the reactions of some fans against them doing
so. The German Olympic women’s gymnastics team ditched
leotards in favour of unitards to make a stand against
sexualisation in the sport while the Norwegian women’s beach handball team were
fined for refusing to play in bikini bottoms. Meanwhile, the
men’s team can wear shorts!

Shortly before the Olympics began, the International Swimming Federation (Fina) rejected
the use of Soul Cap, a swimming cap designed for natural black
hair. Ahead of the Paralympics later this month, US swimmer Becca Meyers has withdrawn from the
competition because of the decision not to allow her personal
care assistant to travel with her. And notably, Naomi Osaka (French Open) and Simone Biles (US Olympic gymnastics team) have
both put their mental health first by bowing out of media
interviews and some competitions respectively, to mixed
reactions.

There are many more stories that we could add and all have one
thing in common: an underlying message that particular sports are
not for everyone; that they aren’t for you if you can’t put
your own comfort and wellbeing aside and conform to the way things
have always been done.

The stories listed above show that much work is still needed in
order for these sports to become more inclusive. Fina justified
their decision in part on the grounds that there had been no
previous instance in which swimmers needed larger caps that could
cover different types of hair. 2021 is the first time a Black woman
has qualified for the Team GB Olympics swim team. Inequitable
decisions about sportswear imply that the female body is viewed as
decorative or that individual’s cultural identities are not
acknowledged, and it is clear that much more work and education is
needed about racial injustice, mental health, and the huge range of
adjustments and support needed by people with disabilities.

Creating spaces in which everyone – regardless of their
background – feels welcomed and included is crucial, as is
ensuring effective channels to feedback to organisations so
people’s voices are heard. And not just in sport. At Mills
& Reeve we actively seek to give people from traditionally
marginalised communities a say through our reverse mentoring, a
number of employee networks and regular surveys. We have reviewed -
and continue to review – our recruitment and promotion
processes to weed out bias, and we actively seek to increase
representation across our firm of people from marginalised and
minoritised communities. We put wellbeing at the heart of how we
operate, with wellbeing supporters in place across the business,
and adjustment plans implemented for anyone who needs them. We
accommodate hundreds of different working patterns and invite
speakers in regularly to share their thoughts and lived experiences
on a range of diversity, inclusion and wellbeing topics.

It is every organisation’s responsibility to continuously
enhance their practice regarding anti-racism, diversity, equity,
inclusion and wellbeing. It may be daunting if you haven’t
started the journey yet but as evidence has proven the return of
investment in embedding inclusion will make organisations more
effective, productive and successful. 

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.