Attendees of the Sporting Equals reception at London’s House of Commons[/caption] Pictured above: #SportingEquals – Chair of Sport England Nick Bitel (left) alongside IMMAF CEO/Sporting Equals Chair Densign White (right) On Thursday March 12, Sporting Equals hosted an engaging reception at the House of Commons in London (UK), with Sporting Equals Chairman and IMMAF CEO Densign White among those leading the ceremony. The prodigious coming together saw a diverse mix of MPs, peers, and participants from across British sport, from the recreational grass roots to elite level stars. Endorsed by former Sports Minister Helen Grant, the reception provided a high level platform to showcase the ongoing work of Sporting Equals to promote greater involvement in sport and physical activity within disadvantaged communities, particularly the black and minority ethnic population. Mr. White placed a spotlight of praise on the “Sporting Futures” strategy implemented by the government to meet diversity targets and explicitly address ethnic groups who find themselves under-represented in British Sport. In front of a vast media presence, those among the honoured guests and speakers were IMMAF CEO and Sporting Equals Chair Densign White, Olympic Gold Medallist Denise Lewis OBE, and former England international footballer Sol Campbell, plus Nick Bitel, Chair of Sport England, and Rod Carr, Chair of UK Sport. Arun Kang, CEO of Sporting Equals said, “Sporting Equals are honoured to be able to showcase our projects to MPs and Lords at the House of Commons. We have worked tirelessly in partnership with many organisations to develop models to increase participation in sport from BAME communities and we hope to replicate our projects more widely across the country to ensure more BAME communities get involved in sport or physical activity.” [caption id="attachment_9698" align="alignright" width="540"]
Retired England international Sol Campbell[/caption] Sol Campbell, speaking to the assembled audience said “The system has to be transparent and opened up. There’s nothing wrong to be opened up and talking to someone you’ve never spoken to before and looking at your own background and thinking that your own mind-set should break that down and thinking ‘why am I always choosing one type of person.’ “It’s all about opening up and allowing the colour to be washed away and people picking the people or managers who are good at their job and give people opportunities.” Mr. White thanked Helen Grant for her sponsorship of the event and shared sincere gratitude to the Q&A panel, including Denise Lewis OBE and Sol Campbell for their work as Sporting Equals Ambassadors. The Sporting Equals Chair expressed his enjoyment of the continuous partnerships with both Sport England and UK Sport, and thanked all in attendance, encouraging everyone to learn more about the efforts of Sporting Equals. For more information on Sporting Equals visit SportingEquals.org.uk Written by IMMAF.org lead writer and website manager, Jorden Curran More pictures below: [caption id="attachment_9697" align="aligncenter" width="1020"]
Densign White alongside Rod Carr, Chair of UK Sport[/caption] [caption id="attachment_9682" align="aligncenter" width="452"]
Densign White alongside Denise Lewis OBE[/caption]]]>
