Breaking Down Barriers
Last week Olympic Bronze medallist Tom Daley posted a video on YouTube announcing that he is in a relationship with a man.
He said, "in an ideal world I wouldn’t be doing this video because it wouldn’t matter".
However in today’s society, unfortunately it does. In many countries it is dangerous to be gay.
So is it any wonder that athletes choose to stay silent about their sexuality rather than risk telling the truth? That is why Tom’s decision has been described as brave and courageous. The impact it will have on young people I’m sure is going to be huge.
A person’s sexual orientation should not be a barrier to participation in sport. But research has found that it is. This is just one example of a barrier to participation which should not exist.
To give you an idea of what the Young Ambassador movement is doing to combat the inequalities we face in Wales, here is a blog which was featured in the Young Ambassador Newsletter. (If you’ve never heard of Young Ambassadors before, we are young people passionate about sport. Our aim is to help inspire a generation and to act as role models to inspire young people to take part in sport.)
Which Olympic or Paralympic value is most important to you? Courage? Friendship? How about equality? As young ambassadors we are striving to get every child hooked on sport for life. Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation everyone should have the opportunity to take part in sport.
But that doesn't always happen. While sport for some can be exhilarating, exciting and enjoyable, for others it can be a totally different experience. Faced with negative stereotypes, prejudices or a lack of provision some people may have a very negative attitude towards sport and choose not to take part.
In order to help break down these barriers to participation, Sport Wales have recruited four young ambassadors from across Wales to become 'equality champions'. Our role is to help raise awareness of the factors affecting participation and to promote equality.
To help us gain a greater understanding of our role we attended a workshop in Cardiff. During the day we had the opportunity to meet key members of staff from Sport Wales and learn more about equality. We soon came to appreciate the complexity of the issues which can prevent participation in sport. Girls are less likely to take part three or more times a week and be 'hooked' on sport.
75% of LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) people have heard homophobic 'banter' while either watching or playing sport. Young people from deprived areas are less likely to be a member of a sports club. These are just some of the problems identified through research and consultations carried out by Sport Wales and their partners.
As equality champions we will be working to break down barriers, change attitudes and increase participation regardless of background. To do this, we want your help. As young people we are best placed to influence and help shape the future of sports participation. We are one year on from London 2012 where for first time in the history of the Games, all countries participating had female athletes in their teams.
We also saw what was described as "the greatest Paralympic Games ever" by Sir Philip Craven. A BBC poll conducted by ComRes found that 79% of non-disabled people believe attitudes have changed towards disabled people since the Paralympic Games. While things are changing for the better, there is still a long way to go.
It is down to us as Young Ambassadors to ensure that the legacy of the Games continues and keeps moving forward. The young ambassador movement is continuously growing. Together we can help promote equality and make a difference to participation in sport.
We can start by getting people talking about equality. What does equality mean to you? How can we promote equality? Is it an important issue or something that we don't need to worry about?
Tweet your thoughts to @YACymru and follow us for all the latest YA news.
Find out more about Young Ambassadors
Read the Sport Wales and Stonewall Cymru research on LGB participation
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