Newyddion
"Athletics is for everyone" Welsh Clubs back Stonewall's Come Out Active Campaign
05/12/2019 00:00, I Mewn Blog /
Swansea University Athletics & Cross Country have shown their support for the Stonewall “Come Out Active” and “Make Sport Everyone’s Game” campaigns by donning their rainbow laces at all of their University competitions throughout the 2019-2020 season. The campaigns run between 22nd November – 8th December but they wanted to continue to raise awareness year-round.
Just 1 in 4 LGBT people don’t think sport is welcoming. The club has raised £120 so far for the charity but hope to do more by raising awareness and showing that Athletics is a sport for everyone. Speaking to the Club Captain, Nathan Phillips, he said:
“When we saw the campaign and looked at the statistics of LGBT people not finding sport welcoming, we really wanted to get involved in some way to show the community in the University and local community that Athletics is for everyone. We wanted to do more than just putting on an event so we decided to that we would buy rainbow laces and wear them at four of the biggest University athletics events in the UK, our 3 BUCS fixtures and Welsh Varsity. This way we were able to raise money, show our support for the LGBT+ community and show that Athletics is everyone’s sport throughout the year.”
Welsh Athletics have also supported this campaign on social media and employees have been wearing their own rainbow laces to work. James Williams, Head of Operations at Welsh Athletics said:
“Our sport it unique, there are not many sports in the world that has as many opportunities and access points as ours. Our clubs and groups are not just sporting institutions but they are also community pillars providing support and new experiences to many, be it those who have aspirations to perform at the highest level or those who are inspired by the many new running groups and want to start a couch 2 5k programme.
We continue to be inspired by our members to break down barriers for participation and we are proud to support the rainbow laces campaign and no doubt many runners up and down Wales will be wearing the laces on their weekly run."