Sporting Equals chief executive Arun Kang says the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSAs) are still important in recognising and inspiring those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
Nominations for the awards, which are split into nine categories, opened on Thursday, with previous winners including Lewis Hamilton and Mo Farah in the Sportsman of the Year category, and Jessica Ennis-Hill named Sportswoman of the Year in 2016.
Details can be found below on how to nominate someone for the awards, which Kang believes are still relevant with so many sportsmen and sportswomen from BAME backgrounds still underrepresented in many areas of sport.
“We always talk about the one third of black footballers in the Premier League but when you look at the coaches, the numbers are remote,” Kang told Sky Sports News.
“It’s the same with south Asians: one third of them are playing the game of cricket and even though there are some elite cricketers coming through, there are not enough on the numbers there should be.
“There are only eight black players out of 18 county teams – who would have thought that 20 years ago?
“The whole issue of the awards we set up almost five years ago now was about promoting it to these black, Asian and ethnic minority communities as a career and to think about coaching and giving something back to the community at grassroots.
“It’s about acknowledging that people from these communities have done it before and then inspiring the next generation in a really big way.”
Recent high-profile instances of alleged racism involving Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah have made headlines in recent months and days, but Kang feels the issue of racism has never been eradicated from sport.
“I don’t think it’s ever gone away, I think it’s always been there,” he added.
“It’s been a bit more covert recently and people have begun to be a little bit more politically correct about this.
“If you ask communities in grassroots sport, they do still get it, particularly in games like football, player-to-player.
“That’s always been there and a lot more needs to be done. Authorities such as the Football Association and the Kick It Out campaign have done a cracking job but a lot more needs to be done.”
To nominate an individual or organisation for a BEDSA award, go to http://bedsa.co.uk/nominate/
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