Four national in-person trainings were held in Italy, Belgium, Finland and Hungary in order to test and refine the structure of the online training module scheduled to be published in September 2024.
The Italian national training
The Italian national Monitora training was held in Rome on January 20, 2024 at the Fulvio Bernardini UISP Rome sports facility and was organized by Uisp APS and Lunaria. It was repeated by Uisp on March 12 in Sassari at Punto Luce.
The training began with an overview of the different forms of discrimination that run through the world of sports, from sexism to racism. It then focused on the importance of monitoring incidents of racism in sports at all levels, showing some exemplary cases designed to exemplify the link between monitoring activities and the activation of measures to protect and safeguard victims.
The training was attended by sports educators, psychologists and sociologists from the Uisp network, as well as antiracist activists and teachers.
Different educational methodologies were used during the meeting: from non-formal education to frontal presentations to group work. This allowed the active participation of the practitioners present and a formative discussion on the topic, which we hope will generate further insights and operational tools to address and prevent cases of racism in sports.
The Belgian national training
The national training in Belgium consisted of three different meetings in Spa and Seraing on January 20, 21 and 24. The events were organized by Stop racism in sport and were attended by club officials, referees, fans, parents and athletes.
The training focused on sharing stories of discrimination and of proactive interventions to combat racism and discrimination in sports and on the importance of systematically carrying out their monitoring. To this end, it was decided to bring participants together in an informal setting so they could better discover the realities on the ground. An important consideration that emerged from the discussion during the training was the usefulness of developing prevention tools suitable for coaches of all ages and social backgrounds. Indeed, coaches in direct contact with athletes should be able to recognize, address, and prevent instances of racism and discrimination.
The Finnish national training
The national training in Finland was organized by Liikkukaa-Sports for all and held in Helsinki at the Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (Diak) on January 25, 2024.
The participants were mostly social science, media, and sports students, along with sports club leaders, coaches, athletes, referees, and antiracism activists.
The event alternated between expert presentations, video presentations, working groups, and plenary discussion and focused first on the forms of discrimination in sports and then on the importance of reporting and monitoring cases of racism. The training offered new insights for participants to continue the fight against racism in sports.
The Hungarian national training
The national training in Hungary was held in Budapest on January 28, 2024. It was organized by United for intercultural action and was attended by athletes and coaches as well as activists.
The methodology of the training was a combination of theoretical input and practical application, through different formats such as interactive presentations, group discussions, and the use of innovative digital tools for real-time engagement and feedback.
A first part of the training focused on analyzing the multifaceted impact of sports, particularly in the youth sector. The second part of the discussion delved into the issues of discrimination and racism in sport, addressing how these affect athletes, especially at the grassroots level, and can affect their overall experience in sport.
Finally, the training explored, with practical examples, how cases of racism in sport are monitored and reported. The discussion brought to light the need for clear education on what constitutes racism and what behaviors are considered acceptable in sports, but more importantly, it brought to light the difficulty of addressing these issues in the Hungarian context today.
