October 11, 2024

Location: Sabir Festival

Città dell'Altreconomia, Biagetti Conference Room

Largo Dino Frisullo, snc, Rome

Hours: 11.30 a.m.-1.30 p.m.

How can we counter racism in sports? While we have been posing this question for some time, in Spain the most drastic path is chosen by sentencing to one year in prison and three years of daspo the fan who in 2023 insulted Vinicius Jr and, in a different match, Samuel Chukwueze. While the president of La Liga on X rejoices because “There will be no more racist shouts or chants in a stadium without a criminal conviction,” it is important to consider how to prevent there from being “racist shouts and chants in a stadium,” beyond conviction. After all, much thought has been given to the need for cultural change so that racism and discrimination are not relegated to a form of “mockery” justified by competitiveness. People talked about how to support those who report discriminatory incidents that occur on playgrounds. They talked about prevention. Finally, they talked about citizenship and young athletes who after years of sacrifice and commitment manage to reach the Olympics - sometimes even winning - but who continue to be discriminated against by those who cannot see them as Italian because of their origins or skin color.

All these considerations and experiences will find a meeting point on October 11 at the event “Stop racism, not the game”. The event is organized by the association Lunaria as part of the project Monitora, monitoring racism in sports within the 10th edition of the Sabir Festival, which after its first stop in Prato, will reach the capital from October 10 to October 13.

The two panels of the event will address precisely the issues of the challenge for cultural change to better counter racism in sports and the importance of systematic monitoring of discrimination. The results of the work done in the two years of the Monitora project will also be presented. Many guests will take part in the discussion: sociologists, activists, sports personalities, researchers, and journalists; a polyphony of voices to provide the Italian and international picture of what is happening in sports when it comes to racism.

The meeting will take place from 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. at the Città dell'Altreconomia, in the Biagetti Conference Room, and translation from Italian to English and English to Italian will be available. The full program is available on the Lunaria website and reservations can be made on the Sabir Festival website.

The project  Monitora - Monitoring racism in sports is funded by the Erasmus +  programme.

Info: Stefania N’Kombo José Teresa, antirazzismo@lunaria.org,
cell. 3921296633
tel. 06 8841880

https://www.cronachediordinariorazzismo.org/monitora-eng/