Swim England supports Rainbow Laces launch event

Swim England was represented at the Stonewall Rainbow Laces Week launch event last night at the Curtain in Shoreditch.

Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt opened the evening with a reminder: “If you want the very best from the people in your world, you have to let people be themselves.”

Following Ruth’s speech there was a high spirited panel discussion chaired by Sky Sport Chief News Reporter Bryan Swanson. There were a number of guest speakers including Hugo Scheckter, player liaison officer at Southampton FC.

Health and Wellbeing Manager Jamie Hooper attended the event. He said: “Rainbow Laces is such an important campaign because it reminds us to think about what we do now, and what else we could do to show how we support LGB&T people in sport.

“The campaign has grown exponentially from last year and was fantastic to see such a range of partners at the launch from across sport. I am so proud that Swim England is involved in this amazing campaign. I can’t wait for us to do our bit later this week.”

What is Rainbow Laces Week?

Rainbow Laces Week is a celebration of LGBT inclusion in sport. Stonewall runs the campaign, and has support from TeamPride and a number of other sporting partners.

Following the campaign’s 2017 launch last night, Rainbow Laces Week runs from today (24 November) until Sunday 3 December. Over the course of the week, sports teams, athletes and individuals will be showing their support for LGBT inclusion.

We will be supporting the campaign using social media and celebrating some of our LGBT athletes. You can also expect to see some big displays of support from the England Rugby team, Premiership Rugby and the Premier and English Football Leagues.

You can view some of the profiles we put online earlier in the year using the links below:

• Click here to view synchronised swimmer Connor Hill’s profile.
• Click here to view water polo player Kathryn Fowler’s profile.
• Click here to view swimmer David Hill’s profile.

Rainbow Laces Day is on the 29 November. Stonewall is encouraging everyone to come together with friends, colleagues and the communities to show support for LGBT people in sport.

So please join in, share on your social media channels and make some noise for inclusivity in sport using #RainbowLaces.

• Click here to buy a pack of rainbow laces for your sports or community group or your workplace.