Sporting Pioneers for Change

The importance of sporting pioneers

‘If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.’

Michael Jordan

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Image: Arthur Wharton, the world’s first black,

professional footballer with the Princess Hassan Cup after

breaking the World Record for the 100 Yard Sprint 1886

Tom Molineaux:The First Black Champion (3)

The battle between Crib [Cribb] and Molineaux (3 October 1811) Engravings -- Hand-coloured | Source: NYPL [All used under Creative Commons]

Tom Molineaux:Paving the way… (4)

Photos: Lennox Lewis by Nikon 2010, Frank Bruno & Errol Christie by Ross Todhunter2007. Princess Naseem Hamed 1997 by Mandy Coombes [All used under Creative Commons]

Arthur Wharton:The First Black Footballer (5)

Arthur Wharton with Darlington FC, circa 1885-88

Arthur Wharton:Paving the way… (6)

Arthur’s Granddaughter, Sheila Leeson from Rotherham. Ceremony honouring Arthur at Wembley 2011

Lucy Diggs SloweFirst African-American Female Tennis Champion

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Olympic Champion, Jess Ennis – Yorkshire Track and Field Championships 2010 by

Adam Kerfoot-RobertsLucy Diggs Slowe - Archived in the Wikimedia

OTRS system for Creative Commons use.

Sir Ludwig GuttmannInventor of the modern Paralympic movement

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Statue of Ludwig Guttmann atStoke Mandeville Stadium

Sir Ludwig GuttmannPaving the way…

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David Weir during 2010 London Marathon| Snappa2006. Paralympic Games logo.

Nederlands: Annette Roozen - Verspringen WK 2006 te Assen, 2006| Wacko fish

(both used under Creative Commons)

Hope PowellThe first non-white manager of England’s women’s football team

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Hope Powell by Spencer Jarvis (Creative Commons use)

Hope PowellPaving the way…

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"It just wasn't what West Indian girls were supposed to do. My mother hates it now if she reads that she was against me playing. But she absolutely was. I came home late from training one time, and I had a game on the Sunday, and she was like, that's it: you're not going. But I did. I just sneaked out again. I was that Bend it Like Beckham girl! I really was. But my mum is my biggest fan now.“

Hope Powell (Guardian June 2011)

Gareth ThomasThe first professional rugby player to come ‘out’

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Gareth Thomas (with ball) Image courtesy of: Allan McKenzie at AMGP.co.uk | not for reproduction

Sporting pioneers for change (13)

Lucy Diggs Slowe, Hope Powell, Ludwigg Guttmann, Tom Molineaux, Gareth Thomas (at an LGTB reception at No10 to launch new campaign to kick homophobia and transphobia out of sport by Ukhomeoffice/tsange.) and Arthur Wharton (all used under Creative commons as mentioned here or previously stated)

Newspaper headlines on the Terry/Suarez racism issue in football 2013Arthur Wharton at Darlington FC circa 1884-88

Racism in Football today (14)

Racism in Football today (15)

Football Unites, Racism Divides (FURD) and other initiatives work hard in Britain today to put a stop to racism in football and raise awareness of the contributions of pioneers suchas Arthur Wharton.

Homophobia in Football (16)

In Britain 2014, no professional footballer has come out and continued his career since Justin Fashanu in 1990. He stopped playing in 1994, but hung himself four years later, aged 37. Fashanu had said that he had not been prepared for the backlash that followed his disclosure, and that his football career suffered "heavy damage" as a consequence.

Homophobia in Football (17)

Megan Worthing from Football V Homophobia talks about the

ongoing problems in football 2013

Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion, bobsleigh advert in

solidarity with LGBT Rights

Sports fight back (18)

Sports fight back (19)

In February 2014, Google updated its iconic search logo to depict a range of athletes against a rainbow coloured backdrop which has come to symbolise LGBT pride for many years. Underneath they quoted the fairness to all policy of the Olympic Charter.