FRA-Study „Racism, xenophobia and ethnic intolerances in sport in the EU“
FairPlay-vidc, Kick it Out (KIO) and the FARE-related Portuguese sociologist Salomé Marivoet are conducting a comparative research on “Preventing racism, xenophobia and related intolerance in sport across the European Union” as a contracted partner of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).
In all 27 EU-member-states football, athletics and one respective ‘national sport’ are thoroughly analyzed on both the amateur and the professional level concerning main problems of discrimination such as direct or structural racism, main affected groups, and different levels of sport. The study profits from the expertise of FARE-partners in these countries.
The FRA launched this major project in close cooperation with the Council of Europe, the European Commission and other key stakeholders addressing the phenomenon of racism and ethnic discrimination in and around sport events and activities, as well as good practices combating it across the European Union. The output, a comprehensive report and a Handbook of Good Practices including relevant educational and awareness raising material and dissemination activities will be delivered by the research team in autumn 2009.
In every EU-member-state, FRA’s RAXEN National Focal Points collect data for this comparative research on the basis of guidelines designed by the research team.
In addition to the comparative study a minimum of 8 Case Studies on good practice initiatives will be conducted, which will cover examples from football and other sports, men’s and women’s sport, amateur, professional and non-organised sports, the situation in varying EU-member states as well as initiatives or organisations operating on the European level. The results of these Case Studies will be presented in a Handbook of Good Practice.
The long time political efforts to recognize racism and ethnic discrimination as a serious problem in sport and on the other hand to acknowledge the potential of sport for fighting racism and to use it as means for integration bears fruits. In 2007, the European Commission published the White Paper on Sport, naming measures and sanctions against racism and discrimination amongst others which should be supported and implemented by the European Commission. This study is the next step towards the implementation of activities against racism and ethnic discrimination in sports.
Core Research Team:
Austria
Elisabeth Kotvojs (FairPlay-vidc)
Georg Spitaler (Institut für Politikwissenschaft, Universität Wien)
England
Piara Powar (KIO)
Alison Vaughan (KIO)
Portugal
Salomé Marivoet (Universität Coimbra)