Focus ROMI.HR

The Olympic and Paralympic Games have traditionally represented a moment of peace and respect, in which the huge physical and mental efforts put in place by the athletes always goes hand-in-hand with impressive sportsmanship. Indeed, there is no Olympic edition which is not characterized by a moment of sharing between two or more athletes, or by an act of particular kindness either among athletes or towards the audience. Moreover, athletes have also repeatedly chosen to use the massive stage offered to them to convey strong messages, like condemning a war, raising awareness on social issues, or even inspiring the younger generation of athletes with words of wisdom. This, of course, emerges by looking at the Paralympic Games too: it is impossible not to admire the strength and determination of all the athletes whose participation reminds us of the importance of inclusion and respect. 

It is undoubtedly true that, edition after edition, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the personal stories of participants have contributed to shape the way sports and performances are understood. Additionally, the increased coverage of the Paralympic Games also impacted on many school programs, which often include projects meant to encourage the integration of children with disabilities into the social community in which they live. Yet, a question still seems to remain unanswered: has this principle of inclusion and diversity embracement been applied to Roma athletes too? 

Quick online research already starts showing some interesting results. First, looking for professional athletes belonging to the Roma community seems to be quite difficult, especially because it may take a few attempts before typing the right query to access their names. Second, the list of available sources is scarce and the few internet pages that pop up on Google seem to be lacking any interview, or in most cases even the data related to their competitions is hardly accessible. Interestingly, the only website showing an extensive list of names is Wikipedia, although it would be wrong to assume that all the information available therein is correct, because the website is, by nature, an open-source project to which anybody can contribute. However, given that this appears to be the only extensive list of names publicly available on the internet, we can only rely on this source. 

Besides Roger De Vlaeminck (a Belgian former professional racing cyclist), Václav Sivák (a Czech kickboxer), Gigi Dolin (an American professional wrestler), and Dominik Lakatoš (a Czech hockey player), the majority of the professional athletes of Romani descent all competed in boxing and football. Additionally, a Czech online media platform focusing specifically on Roma, also includes gymnastics among the disciplines in which Romani athletes excel, although without explicitly mentioning any professional gymnast. 

This brief overview indicates the presence of a problem, which can be summarized in two questions. First: Why is it so hard to find valuable information on Romani athletes on the internet? And second: Why are Romani athletes so underrepresented in professional sports? It is true that complex issues such as the one tackled here can rarely have straightforward explanations. Yet, there certainly is one key factor, which is discrimination.  

Indeed, the Roma are the biggest ethnic minority in Europe, amounting to around 10-12 million members spread throughout the whole continent, and also the group that is affected the most by the neglect of European governments and institutions. There have been some efforts to try and include Romani people more in the political and social system in which they live, but with poor results which are often overshadowed by police brutality, exclusion from the job market, harassment, and so on. Examples of how predominant this discriminatory approach is in Europe have been piled together by Amnesty International in a 2007 report enlisting cases of blatant human rights violations in Eastern European countries. Western Europe is not free from discriminatory practices either: Italy, for instance, has recently been sanctioned by the European Committee of Social Rights because it has systematically violated Romani’s right to housing, conducting forced evictions, segregation, and by providing substandard housing. Similarly, a survey carried out in 2023 shows that in Portugal, more of half of the people who identify themselves as Roma have experienced discrimination based on their ethnic group of affiliation.  

Special Eurobarometer 493 - Discrimination in the European Union. Source: European Commission. Elaboration: Statista.

Relatório Anual sobre a situação de Igualdade e Não Discriminação Racial e Étnica. Source: Alto Comissariado para as Migrações; Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial. 

All these documents exemplify how far integration seems to be for Roma people, and this clearly has some repercussions on their possibility of starting practicing sports too. Indeed, by keeping Roma forcibly outside of the community in which they live, they are also forced to renounce any chances of social inclusion which may take place during gym classes or training. This, paired with the endemic poverty affecting them, makes it even more difficult for Roma families to enroll their children to sport courses, due to their high costs. Thus, it seems that all the empowering words on the importance of celebrating diversity are only valid for those who can afford to pay the costs to achieve this inclusion, and also who are not completely invisible to their governments. 

In conclusion, the Olympic and Paralympic Games give us the opportunity to reflect on a sadly well-known issue but from a different perspective. The Olympic motto and, more broadly, the values which are generally linked to sports and sportsmanship should be universally valid and not depend on someone’s ethnic affiliation. It is clear that Roma discrimination probably won’t be properly tackled by simply allowing more Roma individuals to start practicing a sport, but this would surely contribute to their integration in the society in which they live. A change of pace is much needed, and sports may be the right sector to start a revolutionary path towards actual inclusion.