WE’RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER
Lambert’s plea to authorities
BRITISH OLYMPIAN Chris Lambert says the burden of change in the fight against racism has to be taken off individual sportspeople.
He praises Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Dina Asher-Smith and others for using their powerful sporting voices to campaign for equal rights – but says responsibility rests with governing bodies.
The former European Under23 sprint champion is heartened by seeing thousands take part in anti-racism marches across the UK following the death of George Floyd in the United States.
But he believes the real test of a nation’s commitment is whether it is prepared to “take the conversations out of protests and into everyday life”.
“For real change to happen it has got to come from the top,” said Lambert. “It has got to be governing bodies that say, ‘Enough is enough – it’s not just for you as individuals to bear this on your backs any more’.”
The Londoner points to the fact that NFL star Colin Kaepernick, hailed for his ‘taking a knee’ protest, has been without a team for more than three years.
“It’s all well and good for [NFL boss] Roger Goodell to sit in front of a camera and say, we should have done better, that now we will be supportive,” said Lambert. “That’s great. But what are you actually going to do?
“When are we actually going to see that players can make this stand and it is something sports bodies and associations and clubs can really back?
“It’s nine years since Liverpool and the Patrice Evra T-shirts,” Lambert continued, referencing the 2011 incident in which Luis Suarez was banned for racially abusing the Manchester United defender and Liverpool responded by wearing tops supporting their striker before their next game at Wigan.
“Liverpool made a big gesture recently with the players taking a knee around the centre circle. That’s great but have they addressed the fall-out from the Evra T-shirt issue?”
Lambert, 39, who went to the Athens Games in 2004, echoed Sterling’s call for sport to urgently address the lack of black representation in leadership roles.
“No one is saying you’ve got to give black athletes and black sportsmen stuff they don’t deserve,” he said. “What we’re saying is them being black is not a hindrance to them getting jobs that they could get otherwise.”