Wasps urge fans not to wear faux Native American attire

Wasps have urged supporters not to wear "faux Native American headdresses" to matches at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

The Coventry club host Exeter in Gallagher Premiership action on Saturday, with the Devon club having been at the centre of a long-running storm around accusations of cultural appropriation. Exeter rejected the option to drop the moniker Chiefs following a petition and club investigation in July 2020, but did retire club mascot "Big Chief".

Waspshaverevealedclubsupportershaveaskedforguidance on"culturalsignifiers",withthe Midlandsoutfitaskingforguidance from the RFU and Premiership Rugby.

"At this current time, we will not be issuing an arena-wide ban on the wearing of faux Native American attire, as one club acting in isolation has the potential to cause further division and uncertainty," read Wasps' statement.

"However, we do not support the wearing of such items, discouragesupportersfromwearing them and will be revisiting this decision in due course.

" Wasps want to be part of positive equality, diversity and inclusivity change, and will continue to encourage the entire rugby community to take action against inequality and other forms of discrimination.wearecommittedtodoing more to tackle racism and to championingdiversityinsport.

"Since 2020, several sports teams around the world have recognised that the appropriation of another culture is something they can no longer justify.

"Last year there was a public focus on the prominent use of appropriated names and iconography by professional franchises including the Washington Football Team (formerly known as the 'Redskins' until July 2020) and in Canada, the Edmonton Eskimos have become the Edmonton Elks.

"Respect for all cultures is a crucial part of including everyone in this amazing game. We at Wasps believe that cultural appropriation, 'the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especiallywithoutshowingthatyou understand or respect this culture'and,therefore,thewearing of faux Native American headdresses has the potential to cause offence and doesn't align with our values."