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December 17, 2021
A lot has happened across the world of sport for social change in 2021, so as we approach the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at some of our most popular stories.
From sport’s work to drive action on mental health, indigenous sport, disability awareness and more, read on for the top 10 stories that resonated with our readers the most this year:
The Athlete Mental Health Revolution
Athletes are helping to lessen stigmas and stimulate important public conversations on mental health as they increasingly share their personal experiences. In 2021, we reached a watershed moment when, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, US and world artistic gymnastics superstar Simone Biles withdrew from the Women’s Team Final. Her decision to pull out of the competition to protect her safety and well-being was inspired by tennis star Naomi Osaka and sparked a greater discussion on the importance of athletes putting their mental health first – over competition, public perception and medals.
Read the story here.
The WNBPA’s New Initiative Targets Gender Pay Gap
Investment and sponsorship opportunities have historically been overlooked in women’s sport, with only 0.4% of total sports sponsorship devoted to women’s sports and athletes. In September, the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) unveiled a new strategy to address the wage gap between male and female athletes and to increase investment. As part of this initiative, the WNBPA signed a multi-year partnership with Parity, a platform created to increase sponsorship opportunities for women athletes, which WNBPA President and Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike said will be instrumental in moving towards women’s equality.
Read the story here.
World’s Oldest Team Sport Reviving Indigenous Maya Culture
2021 saw strides towards a greater intolerance for the exploitation of Native and Indigenous people’s culture, and an emphasis on not losing traditions. The Maya, who originated in Mexico and Central America, held the first Southeast Mexican Cup of the Ancestral Sport of Pelota Maya. Largely erased by Spanish conquistadors, the sport is becoming an increasingly important part of reviving indigenous cultural practices.
Read the story here.
PSG and Klabu Partner to Bring Sports Centres to Refugee Camps
While a full picture is yet to be established, the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) has estimated that displaced people worldwide surpassed 84 million mid 2021. Sports has always given refugees a safe space and with the recent events that took place in Afghanistan, the topic of refugees gained renewed awareness. With UNHCR’s support, this year, the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Endowment Fund and KLABU announced a multi-year project to give thousands of refugees the opportunity to access more sports activities.
Read the story here.
Youth Leadership in Focus: Slum Soccer’s Coach Pankaj
In April, we spotlighted exceptional young leaders we’ve come to know over the years. One of them was 26-year-old Pankaj Mahajan, a mentor with Slum Soccer. After experiencing first-hand how football can bring about a sustainable change in life and society, he has since become a strong mentor and coach. He spoke to us about his passion for football and helping children who are growing up in similar difficult circumstances as he did in India.
Read the story here.
Tokyo 2020 Games Welcome Record Number of LGBTQ Athletes
A record number of LGBTQ athletes competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, which Outsports recorded as more than 150 publicly out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and nonbinary athletes. This is greater than the number of LGBTQ athletes who have participated in all of the previous Summer Olympic Games combined while publicly out. To support and ensure that reporting on LGBTQ athletes would be done responsibly, GLAAD, Athlete Ally and Pride House Tokyo also released a guide for journalists and others to aid in accurate, respectful and inclusive media coverage.
Read the story here.
Hamilton Commission Report Takes on Diversity in UK Motorsport
Seven-time Formula One World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton’s mission to diversify UK motorsport towards a more representative industry continued this year. And, in July, he took a major step with the release of a new report by the The Hamilton Commission that exposes the barriers to the recruitment and progression of Black people within the industry. Its recommendations address support and empowerment, accountability and measurement, and inspiration and engagement. Since the report released, Hamilton has launched Mission 44, which aims to support and empower underrepresented groups in the UK, and the Ignite project, which aims to tackle the lack of Black representation in motorsports.
Read the story here.
MLB Supports Water Restoration in Colorado and The American West
The sports world is increasingly stepping up to play a role in tackling climate change. Following the historic drought in the American West and Colorado River’s driest 12-month period on record, Beyond Sport Founding Supporters, MLB and the Colorado Rockies partnered with other organizations to help protect the future of water resources. The partnership focuses on restoring 30 million gallons of water to the critical 15-Mile Reach, a key part of the Colorado River that supports endangered fish, vital ecosystems and downstream communities.
Read the story here.
2020 Beyond Sport Global Award shortlister, UMRio, delivered a new initiative in response to the vast amount of school dropouts in Morro do Castro, Brazil. The area is one of the more isolated favelas in Rio de Janeiro, marked by a failing public education and healthcare systems, poverty and more. As a result of the pandemic, 8.9% of its total school population, which equates to 710, went missing. Launched in September, Project Rescue is helping them return to school, while also understanding what caused them to drop out of in the first place.
Read the story here.
WeThe15 – A Global Campaign to End Disability Discrimination
Coinciding with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the WeThe15 campaign launched in August to advocate for an end to discrimination and to act as a global movement towards disability visibility, accessibility and inclusion. To date, its message to advance the rights of persons with disabilities – who make up 15 per cent of the global population – has reached 80 per cent of the world, and was recently awarded with the Best Purpose Driven Communications campaign at the 2021 European PR Excellence Awards.
Read the story here.
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