Racism in sport

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Racism in Sport is a problem which is manifest around the world. It has led to a wide range of controversial incidents which have been reported in the media.

There have been many efforts to eradicate racism from sport, including Football Against Racism in Europe, Show Racism The Red Card, Rasismul strică fotbalul in Romania and the Australian Football League's racial vilification code. Not all of them have been successful.

[edit] Controversial Incidents of Racism in Sport

1989

January 17 - At the Sydney Cricket Ground during the World Series Cup, 24 people were arrested, and some 100 people evicted for crowd violence which included racist chants such as "up the white ones".^[1]

1993

Nicky Winmar reacted to overt racism from the crowd at Victoria Park, Melbourne, turning to face the offending segments of the crowd, lifted his Guernsey and defiantly pointed to his skin (at the end of a game between St Kilda Football Club and Collingwood Football Club). This act was captured in a series of famous photographs and led to far-reaching reform in the AFL in respect of racism in the game.^[2]

1994

Essendon Football Club champion Michael Long complained to the Australian Football League over an alleged racial vilification incident involving Collingwood Football Club's Damian Monkhorst which was the result of an extensive investigation throughout 1995.^[3]

1997

Sydney Swans player Robert AhMat was involved in an alleged racial vilification row with Essendon Football Club player Michael Prior.^[4]

2007

The Herald Sun launches a special investigation into racism in junior Aussie Rules, revealing several controversial incidents.^[5]
Anthony Mundine made publicity by claiming that New South Wales as racist state in terms of the sport of rugby league and that it is one of the reasons he quit the sport to take up boxing.^[6]
17 October - Indian crowds of up to 40,000 people at a cricket match in Vadodara and Nagpur threw racist taunts at Andrew Symonds resulting in official complaints to the ICC.^[7]

2008

Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman is suspended from The Golf Channel after joking about Tiger Woods being "lynched in a back alley" during final round coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.