A quarter of respondents surveyed last year believed racism and discrimination was a problem in community sports in the country, according to a survey released Monday by Statistics Canada.
Eighteen percent of respondents said they had experienced or observed racism or discrimination in sports in the last five years, with race or skin color being the most commonly cited reason at 64 percent.
Physical appearance was cited in 42 percent of incidents, and ethnicity or culture was cited in 38 percent.
LGTBQ Canadians (42 percent) were more than twice as likely as heterosexuals (17 percent) to have experienced or witnessed discrimination.
80 percent of those who saw discrimination or were victims of discrimination were athletes, 26 percent were spectators. The proportion of trainers and people in non-sporting roles was between five and 15 percent.
Participants and athletes (64 percent), spectators (39 percent) and coaches and trainers (36 percent) were most often responsible for acts of discrimination.
The likelihood of experiencing or witnessing discrimination in a sport decreased with age, peaking among 15- to 24-year-olds (30 percent) and gradually decreasing to seven percent among those over 65.
The data for the survey comes from the Survey Series on People and their Communities (SSPC) – Participation and Experiences in Community Sports, which was collected from November 27th to December 27th. 17. 2023.
According to Statistics Canada, racial and immigrant groups were over-reported “to ensure adequate coverage of these groups.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.
The Canadian Press
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