The Australian Open’s scenic riverside path symbolizes sport’s long road to equality | Emma Johannes

TThe riverside walk to the Australian Open courts is a scenic delight for the sporting pilgrim. Rowing teams train up and down the water, framed by the sunlit city skyline. The floodlights of the Melbourne Cricket Ground signal in the distance. Under the feet of the crowd rushing to the ticket barriers, the concrete path transforms into a work of art: a winding confluence of eels celebrating their migration to the Yarra River, which once provided abundant food for the Wurundjeri people.

The celebration of the country within the district continued on Wednesday. This was Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day, where the tournament celebrates the people and culture of the First Nations. A packed entertainment program included a smoking ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena, a Q&A with Cathy Freeman and a performance by Coodjinburra pop star Budjerah. There were taster sessions and weaving workshops, and all the ball kids came from Indigenous tennis programs.

It was sad that Goolagong Cawley, now 74, was ill and could not be there in person. But even in her absence, her influence on Indigenous sports has been strongly felt this month. A new TV drama about her career aired two weeks ago, praised for its dignified portrayal of her rural upbringing and subsequent journey to Grand Slam success. But it also captured her significance to her community and to Australians more broadly – ​​not just as a barrier-breaking athlete and role model, but as a woman who would nurture and guide generations to come.

Making sport more accessible and attractive to First Nations people is a passion for Rob Hyatt. The 56 year old weekend cricketer is an educator for Koorie Heritage Trustwhich had its own stall on Wednesday. He sees this annual Australian Open event (now in its fifth year) as a double function. It presents Indigenous cultures in a way that engages the wider Australian and international communities; it also encourages indigenous sports participation.

“What we’re trying to do here is connect tennis to people’s own culture,” Hyatt says. “If participation supports their Aboriginality and identity, it can really encourage them to stay in the sport. We don’t want to see a drop-out at certain ages.” Participation levels among First Nations people lag significantly behind non-Indigenous groups, and especially in tennis, a traditionally white and conservative sport. “You can play football anywhere, anytime, but you can’t play tennis without a court or a racket. So it’s still breaking down the barriers around it, which seems like an elitist sport. It doesn’t always feel like that opportunity is there.”

And this, of course, must be set against the context of Australian sport’s painful examination of racism. How deep the problem goes will vary depending on who you speak to. High-profile cases of racist abuse in Australian football in recent years have presented a damning indictment of the tolerant clubhouse culture. They are also the result of misunderstandings or poor education, and sometimes the perpetrators end up being recast as victims.

Taylor Walker’s apology video for using a racial slur against his Adelaide Crows teammate Robbie Young in 2021 was a case in point. Young was filmed sitting behind Walker, ready to extend a reassuring arm; in the aftermath, pundits and social media alike complained that Walker was over-judged. Last November, a Sport Integrity Australia survey reported that 43% of athletes won’t call out racism if they see it, and the reaction to cricketer Usman Khawaja’s retirement speech at the end of the Ashes this month was another prime example of why.

Despite all the discussions surrounding this subject, the problem of racism in top sport has not been resolved quickly. Last year, the Australian Football League Players’ Association Insights & Impact report found more than half of Indigenous players were “not at all satisfied” with the way incidents were handled. But outside the professional leagues the indications are even worse. This is evident from a recent study by Victoria University, More than half of those interviewed had experienced or witnessed racism in community sport – with 77% of people citing incidents in the past twelve months.

That research is part of a larger report that will be published in the coming months that will look for solutions to the problem. And while there is respect and applause for the Australian Open’s sincere, well-executed efforts at inclusivity, it is also clear that a much more structural approach is needed to tackle such a deep-rooted problem.

“There is a lot of value in Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day,” said Dr. Franka Vaughan, one of the project’s researchers. “Representation matters: it’s really important to highlight someone like her, not just for First Nations people, but for many Black and brown people. Yet the question is, how can we go beyond the symbolic nature of that and transform our systems?”

In other words, meaningful change requires a more collective approach. The widespread reluctance to report racism has made it tempting for sporting organizations to ignore the problem, especially at the recreational level, and measures so far have largely focused on crisis management rather than prevention. But inclusion policies and reconciliation action plans are only as useful as an individual club’s will to implement them. That’s why boards and committees in sports need more diverse decision makers.

Sports sociologist Ramon Spaaij points out that clubs “are often autonomous entities that are quite satisfied with the status quo because they benefit from it”. He states that there are many more levers that the government and sports organizations can use to pursue anti-racism. “If you want access to public investment in your sport, there must be conditions that you must meet.”

As the crowd flows into Melbourne Park through the entrance to Birrarung Marr – Birrarung is the traditional name for the Yarra River – they walk past five tall spears and shields. It is another piece of indigenous art, representing the five language groups of the Kulin Nation. The interesting thing about it is that each spear has a different point. Their shapes are unique because each was used for different functions, whether it be catching a snake or killing a kangaroo. Tackling racism in Australian sport requires many different approaches. But a concerted effort is still needed.