'Everyone is welcome in our sport' says Joe Root as England Cricket and many more sports organisations and governing bodies back Rainbow Laces; Captain Tom Moore, Sara Cox and Joe Wicks among celebrities getting involved on social media
Thursday 10 December 2020 06:13, UK
England cricket captain Joe Root and Captain Sir Tom Moore were among the famous faces taking part in Rainbow Laces Day on Wednesday.
On Twitter and Instagram, Root shared the message "Everyone is welcome in our sport. Proud to support #rainbowlaces" along with a Pride flag emoji as he posted a picture of himself taken in South Africa, where he was set to play in the ODI series before the decision was taken earlier this week to postpone it.
The LGBT+ inclusion in sport campaign, which is backed by Sky Sports as a member of TeamPride, is receiving its annual activation across sport, with Rainbow Laces Day providing an opportunity for everyone to lace up and post to social media.
Root's reputation as a strong LGBT+ ally was fortified by his response to an attempted sledge from fast bowler Shannon Gabriel in the third Test between West Indies and England in St Lucia in February last year.
Meanwhile, celebrities including Captain Tom, Joe Wicks, Sara Cox, James Bay and Vicky McClure have also been showing their support for Rainbow Laces by posting images on social media.
Captain Tom's Guinness World Record-breaking £33m fundraiser walk for NHS Charities Together during the pandemic catapulted the centurion to national fame. Like former Arsenal and England star Wright, he also shared the hashtag #AFanIsAFan, which Sky Sports' TeamPride partners Barclays have created to show allyship among football supporters.
TeamPride is a consortium of world-leading brands that also includes adidas, AON, Coca-Cola and the Premier League. Since 2016, the businesses have combined to amplify the Rainbow Laces message.
A host of sports organisations, governing bodies and teams were also giving visibility to the campaign on Wednesday. As in previous years, Team GB became 'Team LGBT+', while ParalympicsGB, England Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union, the Football Association, the Lionesses, the RFL, England Golf, and England Netball were just some of those participating.
The campaign aims to make sport everyone's game, bringing communities together to champion inclusion for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in sport. Over its five-year run, close to one million Rainbow Laces have been snapped up by people everywhere to show support for LGBT+ equality in sport.
Last year, polling from Stonewall found that 65 per cent of British people think it is important that anti-LGBT+ language and abuse is challenged in live sporting events. Despite this, 43 per cent of LGBT+ people think public sporting events aren't welcoming for them.
This year has seen LGBT+ communities particularly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and for many people sport has become more important than ever.
Sky Sports is a member of TeamPride which supports Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign. If you'd like to help inspire others in sport by sharing your own story of being LGBT+ or an ally, please contact us here.
