Sport, equality & discrimination – the year in review 2019/20

Since the last edition[1] of the LawInSport year in review, two key topics remain at the forefront of discussions: race and gender equality – both of which have been brought into sharp focus by recent global events. The global Covid-19 pandemic has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, economies to shut down and, importantly for our purposes in this piece, the sport calendar to stop mid-stride. In a matter of weeks business plans were ripped up, funding agreements called into question and most sports were forced to take a long hard look at their business model, including growth agenda (especially the burgeoning growth of women’s sport).  Within the maelstrom, the death of George Floyd sparked international protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement, highlighting the inequalities and victimisation that are still very much a part of life for many black people.  These two world events provide a lens through which to examine the key issues from the last year and consider what may lie ahead in the coming months.