Dina Asher-Smith calls for more people like ‘phenomenal’ Gareth Southgate in athletics to lead push for diversity

Dina Asher-Smith says racism is still rife in athletics and insists the sport would be far better if there were more people like England manager Gareth Southgate in positions of leadership.

The British sprinter admitted she has a unique perspective given the truly global nature of her profession and was strong in her assessment of the work that needs to be done to better promote diversity and inclusivity across athletics in the UK.

“I think I have maybe a somewhat different context because coming from track and field, I feel like it’s a truly global sport in that you’ve got people coming from India, you’ve got Kenya, you’ve got Jamaica, you’ve got the USA, so I get a front row seat to see how different federations in other countries have worked.

“That’s whether they are like Kenya, where the majority of people are Black, or somewhere like the USA, where it’s very diverse. So, I definitely think sport in this country has a very long way to go.

“I sit at the front line where I see lots of different teams and lots of different federations are working in completely different ways. So when I say I hear the biases, I really hear the biases.”

It was a fascinating conversation between leading figures from various sports and backgrounds, but it was also made clear that in 2023 so many systemic and deep-rooted issues still remain.

Asher-Smith gave a powerful insight into her experience behind the scenes in the world of athletics.

“You absolutely want the best person for the job in any role, irrespective of ethnicity background, whether they’re a former athlete or not, you have to be the most competent,” she added.

“Even saying that, if I think about track and field or athletics, particularly in Europe, and if I’m thinking about the UK, I know that the head of the power stream is Paula Dunn, a Black woman. But then outside that, I would really struggle to think besides boards and in roles directly contributing to ethnicity and diversity, where anybody that is not white would sit.

“That goes through high-level coaches, performance coaches; that goes through the administrative board, the performance directors; that even sweeps through the majority of the physiotherapists and stuff like that.

“What frustrates me as an athlete… yeah, I’ve been in the system for a very long time so lots of people are very comfortable with me. They pick up the phone and they talk, even if it’s from a management perspective.

“People get very comfortable to air opinions with you, and often I just quite frankly call it for what it is.

“It’s racism a lot of the time, because some of the gripes that people have with staff, with coaches, with physiotherapists or whatever, say somebody makes a mistake and they’re on probation or they’re just being brought in and it is an ethnic minority, lots of the time there is an instant assumed incompetence as opposed to somebody [who just] needs an opportunity to shine. It’s so frustrating.

“So I think just from the bottom, from the start, and just being completely up front, people really have to examine their assumptions and how they view people and give people the space to be, the space to learn, and the space to grow.”

Towards the end of the conversation, Monye recalled an interview he did for Black History Month last year when he discussed some figures he looked up to. Among them, one name perhaps came as a surprise.

“I love Michael Johnson, him at the Atlanta Olympics in the 400m and 200m, unbelievable,” Monye began.

“I’m an Islington boy, support Arsenal, Ian Wright. They said, ‘Who else?’ I said Gareth Southgate and they’re like, ‘he’s white’. And I was like, ‘Yeah, spoiler alert, he’s white’.

“I’m not here to talk about his tactical management skills on the pitch, but as a leader and as an ally, he became a force of nature because he represented his team in a way, because he connected to them, and he had to lobby against the highest office in this country.

“If we could get more people caring for things that don’t immediately matter to them, then I think we’ll be in such a greater and richer place. In the same way you [Judy] do and Frank, just hearing your stories, the way you represent your people and your sport is truly remarkable and you cannot undervalue the sense of allyship.”

Asher-Smith was in full agreement with Monye as she heaped praise on the men’s England manager for his qualities as a person, insisting it is that “allyship” and “empathy” that is one of the key ingredients missing in the push for diversity within her sport in this country.

“Whenever I see Gareth, I tell him, I think you’re phenomenal,” she said. “I want somebody like you around track and field, and I want that because just to lead off what you said, the allyship, how important that is cannot be understated.

“Lots of people in his position, they don’t take the time to understand. They don’t take the time to display empathy. And it’s not just on the issue, but even how he’s backed his players.”