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Letter from the Executive Director

What a time it is to be witnessing one of the greatest events of the year–the FIFA World Cup. I do admit I am an avid football (soccer) fan and have loved the game since I was five years old. Most of my greatest memories have been associated with this game in some way.


While I take much pleasure in football as a sport, it has been discouraging to watch this beautiful game become entangled with politics, economics, discrimination, and power games. I have noticed the same has also happened, and is happening, with other sports.


In this article, we have put together our impression of a global view of how sports have become so important to advocate and shift policies, as well bring diversity, inclusion and equity to the foray.


I hope you can find an angle that will interest you. Please share with us your feedback to this article. 


Finally, while we end the year, we also want to add a Cheer to all of you who are celebrating your festivity and looking forward to 2023 with much augur and joy.


In advance, Happy Festivity and Happy New Year. Thank you 2022, and welcome 2023.


Dr. Sudeep Mohandas

Executive Director

Issues Surrounding the World Cup


Amid the bustling excitement from sporting fans and the fact that this is the first time the World Cup has been hosted in the Middle East, there was much to look forward to at this year’s World Cup. However, Qatar as a host country has been tangled in controversy, beginning from the process by which it was chosen as host in 2010, to its World Cup preparations, and not least, its current stances on key human rights issues that range from migrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, press freedom, and freedom of expression.


The years-long preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, especially, has drawn its share of ire. 

Per an article by the Guardian, data compiled from government sources reveal that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since winning the right to host the World Cup.


“Migrant workers were indispensable to making the World Cup 2022 possible, but it has come at great cost for many migrant workers and their families who not only made personal sacrifices, but also faced widespread wage theft, injuries, and thousands of unexplained deaths,” said Rothna Begum, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. Vox Media also dives into these issues in a recent video, How Qatar built stadiums with forced labor.

Response to the Issues

The response to these issues have varied. Team captains from seven European nations, including England and Germany, had planned on wearing One Love rainbow arm bands to show visible support for the LGBTQ+ community during the World Cup, until FIFA threatened sanctions. The Australia team released a video of its players condemning Qatar’s human rights record. A World Cup protestor ran onto the field wearing a Pride flag in support of LGBTQ+ rights, and a shirt that called attention to Ukraine and Iranian women’s rights. Recently, activists supporting Qatar migrant workers protested in the FIFA president’s Swiss hometown. 


The Foreign Minister for Qatar has stated that the international criticism reveals a “double standard,” particularly after the Interior Minister for Germany made comments on whether “compliance with human rights” should be part of the criteria when selecting the World Cup host.


While it is important to acknowledge what is happening in Qatar, it is also worth noting that other countries represented by the 32 participating teams also have their own DEI issues. Migrant rights issues are not unique to Qatar, with British migration rights policy recently coming under scrutiny in the recent UN rights forum. In Australia, data shows that discrimination against indigenous Australians is rising. For those of us who have watched the 2022 World Cup unfold from afar, it is worth asking – What is going on close to home? What are the issues where I am, and what can I do to make small but sustainable differences to move DEI forward?

 


A broader conversation: Trans inclusion in sports

While the controversy swirls around Qatar and the World Cup, it is an undeniable fact that world sporting events remain an avenue to spotlight issues, not least for global DEI. Trans inclusion in sports, in particular, has gained momentum as an issue over the years.


At the Tokyo Olympics, two female runners from Namibia were barred from competing in the 400-meter race after their medical test results showed high natural testosterone levels. (The testosterone was endogenous, meaning the body produced them naturally.) 


The International Olympic Committee later revealed a Framework of Fairness, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations, which was developed after consulting with 250 athletes and stakeholders. According to the official website for the Olympics, the Framework aims to “offer sporting bodies…a 10-principle approach to help them develop the criteria that are applicable to their sport,” and that relevant ethical, social, cultural, and legal aspects will need to be considered.


Alex Schmider, Associate Director for GLAAD–the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization–called this a “victory for all athletes and fans, who know the potential of sports to bring people together.” Schmider is also a producer on “Changing The Game,” a Hulu original documentary highlighting transgender inclusion issues through the experiences of three high school athletes. (Check out the trailer.)


The Framework has also drawn mixed responses, but as various sporting bodies review and reshape their policies on gender inclusion, guidelines continue to evolve forward as a result of the growing discussion on trans gender inclusion.

Sports for everyone

“Don’t forget about deaf sports fans,” writes Lydia Callis. Callis is an advocate and sign language interpreter who comes from three generations of deaf family members. She is also known as the sign language interpreter for then-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who went viral for her expressive signing during Superstorm Sandy.


In an article on Huffpost, Callis writes that “when planning sporting events, inclusivity should never be an afterthought. From varsity volleyball state championship games all the way up to the Super Bowl, providing high quality access to sporting events sends a message the deaf fans are valuable to your team and/or organization.”


Accessibility and inclusion at a sporting event can look like barrier-free access for persons with disabilities or limited mobility, live audio-descriptive commentary for blind and partially sighted persons, and assistive hearing devices for the deaf and hard of hearing, among other accommodations.


In a timely turn of events, December 3 was International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In a statement on the official FIFA website, FIFA cited accessibility and inclusion as “key considerations in the bidding regulations for FIFA competitions,” in an effort to provide a barrier-free World Cup. For instance, audio descriptive commentators were made available for the first time in the Arabic language at the FIFA Arab Cup. At the World Cup Russia (2018) and France (2019), FIFA made matchday highlights available specifically for deaf and hard of hearing fans.


Trans Athletes Speak Out


In this featured podcast episode, Trans Athletes Speak Out, Cece Telfer and Chris Mosier share their experiences as trans athletes and what it means to make space for trans athletes  in sports.

LISTEN NOW

Arbitrary, adj. existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will


In the lead up to the World Cup opening in November, the arbitrary arrest and detention of LGBTQ+ people continued in Qatar as recently as in September 2022, according to Human Rights Watch. Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in which there has been no proper due process of law or order.

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The Centre for Global Inclusion is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and home of the free Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World (GDEIB). Its mission is to serve as a resource for research and education for organizations and individuals in their quest to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion practices around the world. Go to www.centreforglobalinclusion.org




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