Physical and Health Education

Sport: discrimination, ethics and inclusion

by Beth Alvarez, teacher of Physical & Health Education

Sport, we’re told, lies at the heart of what it means to be Australian. But what, in reality, does this mean?

The Year 8 cohort has delved into this topic within their Physical and Health Education classes. Utilising the vehicle of AFL, the students discuss, debate and research some interesting topics:

• race;
• religion;
• gender;
• colour;
• sexual preference, orientation or identity;
• special ability or disability.

The issue of vilification and discrimination affects many sectors of the community and can significantly impact the health and well-being of both individuals and community groups. The following statistics show the importance of creating safe and welcoming environments for all people, regardless of their background:

• Research has established clear links between ethnic and race-based discrimination with issues such as depression, psychological distress, stress and anxiety.
• Almost a quarter (24.6%) of Australia's population was born overseas and 43.1% of people have at least one overseas-born parent.
• Indigenous players make up 6.5% of community football players. The percentage of Indigenous people in Australia is around 2.5%.
• Nearly 45% of the Australian population will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives.
• There are currently around 95,000 women playing football.
• 8.6% of men and 15.1% of women reported feelings of attraction to the same gender.

We hope to have WheelTalk come to visit the Year 8s later on in the term. They are an interactive program that encourages students to think about diversity, acceptance and disability while gaining an understanding of what it is like to live with disability. Presented by Victorians with disability who are actively involved in sport and recreation, WheelTalk combines unique stories of lived disability with the opportunity to play an hour of wheelchair AFL or basketball.