An earlier report from 2012 had already found that racism and homophobia are quite prevalent and persistent in sports, particularly in football.
The current report talks about sports in general but focuses on football: No top-level player has yet publicly come out of the closet.
Damian Collins, chairman of the British Parliament committee in question, points out how important it is to create an environment that welcomes gay and lesbian athletes, independently of their age, level, sport or their status as amateurs or professionals, be it in the stadium or the locker rooms, at home or in the media, from the grassroots to the officials level.
Damian Collins requests severe sanctions for homophobic behavior. ©damiancollins.com
Although coming out of the closet is a very personal decision, it is certainly a lot easier in an open and gay-friendly environment.
The report states that, aside from very few more tolerant areas, British sports, particularly top-level football, is marked by homophobia. Currently, each club or federation can decide on possible sanctions for wrongdoing.
We believe that there are many gay athletes who have not come out, because they are frightened of the impact this decision will have on their careers, and the lives of the people they love. That is not acceptable and should not be tolerated.
(Damian Collins, chairman of the sports committee in the UK House of Commons)
Here are some of the many suggestions of the report by the committee presided by Damian Collins:
This report is definitely a clear signal and a good start although a much better and more effective solution would be a law against homophobia in sports. But who knows, this report may well prove to be the first step in the right direction.
Frank-S / MensGo
Main source: Parliament.uk, February 12, 2017.
Initial source: Sofoot.com, February 12, 2017.