DEI Initiatives Ongoing Throughout U.S. Olympic Movement

Whether it be state-by-state laws that are divergent in nature, international federations putting out mandates that may not match a member country’s intrinsic values and all in the background of the pandemic-era reckoning about race and diversity throughout the United States, national governing bodies throughout the U.S. Olympic movement have a list of topics to debate and measures to enact beyond the mere goal of preparing athletes for this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The idea of diversity, equity and inclusion in sports has been a years-long discussion. But as several NGBs are working on how to support athletes in the LGBTQ+ space and increase diversity in sport while also facing the potential of restrictions in site selections, oftentimes the discussion has become less about sport and more about politics.

Yet the end result, through programs that several NGBs are working on and have been for a long time, is more than merely DEI-driven initiatives.

“What we’re trying to do is break down those barriers — whether it’s financial barriers or perception of the sport — so that people can see themselves in the sport and stay in the sport because they have a positive experience,” said Jennie Trayes, USRowing chief community engagement officer.

“We just want more people to participate in sport,” said Suzy Sanchez, the senior manager of DEI and community programs for USA Cycling. “A positive outcome is a world where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy sport, to share in the community that sport provides and to build lifelong friendships and experiences.”

“At the basic level, being introduced to sport can make you a better human being, a more productive citizen,” added Shannon Jolly, USA Fencing’s senior manager of DEI and belonging. “It goes back to sport being a human right for everyone to just have access and how sport can help develop you as you continue to grow.”

Determined to Increase Access

Several NGBs have specific plans for DEI initiatives. Last fall, USA Artistic Swimming launched a training in partnership with Guardian Quest to empower members of the NGB’s community in the commitment to DEI by launching an official USA Artistic Swimming DEI Training and Certification. The training is open to all members of USA Artistic Swimming and beyond in the broader sports community.

“The goal is to have every member of the organization take the training and then beyond and go to their clubs to have a conversation about DEI knowing things they understand now that they didn’t understand before the training,” said USA Artistic Swimming Chief Executive Officer Adam Andrasko.

USA Fencing has started Fencing The Gap, which focuses on broadening access to the sport in BIPOC communities, providing young individuals with opportunities to discover and excel in fencing. USA Cycling has a full DEI section on its website that includes guiding principles, action plans and resources. US Rowing has launched the United We Row program, which will support organizations around the country, along with a general strategic plan and DEI-specific plan.

One of the overarching principles for the NGBs is making sure that as the country becomes more diverse, each organization does the same to make sure participation numbers can not only be maintained but potentially increased.

“Our CEO (Amanda Kraus) and myself both bring a sports-based development lens to this,” Trayes explained. “Everybody should have access to sport and the benefits that sport provide.”

It’s access that all national governing bodies are trying to increase, in part motivated by knowing the 2028 Summer Games and 2034 Winter Games are heading to the United States, meaning those who are young athletes exploring multiple sports could be potential Olympians even if that’s not the primary motivation.

“If we can get people from underserved communities into pools, they get connected to a healthy living lifestyle through aquatic exercise,” Andrasko explained. Then, maybe beyond that, “is getting tied into any one of our sports” whether it be artistic swimming, swimming and diving or water polo.

“The history of our country has forced underserved populations out of aquatic venues,” Andrasko said. But now, “they’re doing some really cool work in Hampton, Virginia — we hosted junior Olympics there and saw the underserved population using an aquatic venue at a very high level. We need more of that across the country. To their credit, Los Angeles Recreation and Parks and LA28, they are supporting underserved youth being connected to aquatic venues.

“It goes way beyond sports,” Andrasko continued. “In the artistic swimming community, there’s obviously a lack of diversity of in our sport. When we talk about what we can do in artistic, it’s identifying areas of the country that we have clubs and reach out to underserved populations that are diverse and being connected to it.”

Examining Site Selection

According to the American Psychological Association, “as of June 2023, the Equality Federation identified 72 bills introduced to ban transgender students from athletics consistent with their gender identity around the United States, up from 29 such bills introduced in 2022. As of November 2023, the Map Movement Project reported 24 states banned transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.”

As national governing bodies look to hold events throughout the country, having to examine a location’s policy is now part of the selection process if they have transgender athletes competing.

In November 2022, USA Fencing said it would give preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that harm members of LGBTQ communities as well as states that do not have laws undermining the reproductive health of women beginning with the 2023–2024 national tournament season. USA Fencing has adopted a new Transgender and Nonbinary Athlete Policy that will allow athletes to participate in USA Fencing-sanctioned events in a manner consistent with their gender identity/expression, regardless of the gender associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.

Jolly gave one example of having events in a state and understanding laws and bills that concern transgender athlete participation: “Maybe this was a deal that was already decided on four years ago and we couldn’t necessarily get out of it,” he said. “However, if you find yourself in those predicaments — which I have this past season — I was just more intentional with identifying those groups within the city … (and) identifying non-profit organizations who are willing to come and are willing to pass out information to say, you are welcome here, our group is dedicated to the LGBTQ community and this is a safe space for you. It just shows people that we are intentional and serious about what we say we want to do.”

It can be different for an NGB such as USA Cycling, which has only a handful of velodromes in the United States that it can have its events in “so we try to encourage partnership with either our local race directors or a national race directors and team to make sure that those communities are represented,” Sanchez said. “If it’s a youth event, we try to focus on youth LGBTQ+ organizations. Ultimately, we can’t control the laws that are in place in these states that we go to, but we can control what sort of culture we’re creating at that race site to ensure that people feel safe and seen.”

US Rowing can sometimes have the same issue with how it needs large bodies of water that can host tens of thousands of people, which through the site selection process can limit the options for having events organized. So when in a state that may have laws that do not resonate with the national governing body’s broader mission, targeted local outreach is needed.

“Being transparent has been key,” Trayes said. “We partner with local organizations or bring in our own trusted organizations, LGBTQ+ support organizations, anti-racism organizations, anti-bullying organizations. And those have been really popular and really meaningful.”

International Politics in Play

Those types of athlete participation issues go beyond placing events in the United States. NGBs also have to deal with the potential of having their elite athletes not being able to participate around the world based on what the international federation’s rules and policies may be.

The UCI recently changed its transgender athlete participation policy so that athletes can only compete in the gender they were assigned at birth “and that was a huge issue at USA Cycling because we represent all people and all people should have access to sport,” Sanchez said. After discussions within the NGB, while knowing there is no leeway within UCI events, “for our domestic level national championships and local race events, we have the USA Cycling trans athlete participation policy, which provides a pathway for transgender athletes who have transitioned post-puberty to be able to compete,” Sanchez said. “It really is important for NGBs or national federations to reflect on what their personal values are. And for me, it’s always going to come back to how everyone should have access to sport and that everyone means everyone, not just some of us.”

Communication with athletes is also top of mind in any issue whether it be site selection or international federation policies.

“We make it very clear that in our policy, we are on the side of inclusion, (and) if you want to join our national team and represent us internationally, these are (FIE) rules,” Jolly said. “So if you don’t comply with their rules, unfortunately, you can’t be on the team. But again, it’s still allowing people to know that you still have a place to compete here.”

Creating Safe Environments

Beyond athlete policies is making sure all involved, athletes and coaches, are able to compete internationally in a safe and supportive environment. At the World Rowing U19 World Rowing Championship in Paris last year, a coach of color was stopped from entering the course “while his white peers were permitted entry on two separate occasions,” US Rowing said in a statement. In the wake of that incident, US Rowing is working with World Rowing and their Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission “to cultivate an international competitive atmosphere that is universally welcoming, proactive, and unified in our response to difficult situations involving coaches or athletes that may arise.”

Each of the issues discussed or raised will continue to be a topic for governing bodies on any level — youth, amateur, collegiate, professional and Olympic. And as anyone who is in the sports industry knows, it’s also not a cut-and-dry issue. There are nuances, detailed discussions to be had and more than anything, it may require patience.

“Sport is a human right because it provides us with so many benefits,” said Sanchez, which is why she and many others in the NGB community continue to drive the conversation about DEI issues.

“We need leaders who understand what DEI is and its impact and what it takes to make an impact,” Jolly said. “It’s not one of those things where you see the immediate change in five months, which some people question. In order for it to continue to work and for people to see the benefits of it, you need that investment. And that takes leaders to invest in it.”