This fan has shaped anti-discrimination policy in Australian cricket after alleging racial abuse at a match

CNN
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Two years after accusing him of racial abuse at a cricket match, an Indian fan has joined hands to shape how the sport tackles discrimination in Australia.

Krishna Kumar was attending day three of the 2021 test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) when he heard chants of “curry chewers” aimed at Indian players and fans. .

He returned to SCG on the fifth day of the test, when he said he had been profiled by security personnel for racism.

According to Kumar, that included being told by an employee checking anti-racism banners to “get back to where you came from” which he hopes to land.

He also said he was subjected to a two-and-a-half-minute “unnecessary” check with a metal detector and what he felt was a stricter security presence for the Indian fans. Degree when entering the stadium.

After the match, Kumar, who lives in Sydney with his wife and two children, filed two complaints: one with Cricket Australia (CA), the sport’s national governing body, and the other with Venues NSW, the company. own SCG.

At first, he said, progress was slow and there were no answers.

“By the time we closed the claims, it was March or April 2022, so it almost took 14 to 15 months to get back to work,” Kumar said. CNN Sports. “Your mental health suffers a bit.”

Fast-forward to 2023 and Kumar feels a little more optimistic.

Since submitting his complaint through the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Authority – a local government branch that acts as an intermediary – he has received a written apology from CA and has been informed that there will be Review the regulator’s complaint process.

He was also informed that his efforts contributed to the CA signing spectator racist guidedeveloped by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

The guide identifies actions spectators, officials and players can take when they see or experience racist behavior at sports venues, and outlines measures to prevent it. Racist behavior occurred in the first place.

CA also provided the opportunity for Kumar to contribute to a series of anti-discrimination films, which featured Australian players Usman Khawaja and Beth Mooney, and were shown on the big screen in international matches hosted by CA during the year. this season.

That involves providing pre- and post-production feedback as well as providing input to the script.

After filing a complaint with Venues NSW, Kumar said he was initially offered event tickets and membership at SCG.

However, he refused on the grounds that he wanted to “take responsibility for what happened” rather than compensation.

A few months later, Venues NSW let him know that staff would receive training on how they interact with patrons and the audience would have a better understanding of what they can and cannot display on the banner.

According to Kumar, Venues NSW said there was no convincing evidence that a member of security staff told him to return to where he came from.

But he still feels satisfied with the outcome of the two complaints.

“If you stand up for what you think is right, you can get the results you want,” says Kumar.

“If my story can highlight it in terms of: this is what I did and these are the results I got and these are the systemic changes that happened,” he says. added, “I think it was a win.”

Kumar’s account of the racial abuse he said he received at the SCG two years ago is not unusual in Australian cricket.

Khawaja, a top hitter and Australia’s first and only Muslim cricketer, recently told Sydney Morning Newspaper that he was called a curry muncher “all the time” growing up, adding that, due to his Pakistani roots, he struggled to fit in with the Australian cricket team until he 13 or 14 years old.

“You see cricketers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, everywhere at the youth level. [in Australia],” Khawaja told SMH.

“But when you get to a high level of performance, it drops exponentially. It just falls, falls, falls. That’s where I’m trying to work with Cricket Australia, saying: ‘Look, guys… you’ve invested a lot of money in this, but something is wrong. You’ve been doing it for 10 years and nothing has changed.’”

The problem, says Khawaja, is that cricket managers, selectors and coaches are largely white – although CA has developed a range of “integrated solution” to create new opportunities and ensure diverse representation at clubs across the country.

As for Kumar, he calls Khawaja an “inspirational” figure for South Asian Australians like himself.

“He doesn’t know how much he can really help the next generation in making them believe that it’s impossible to wear that baggy green shirt,” he said, referring to the blue cap. The iconic foliage that the Australian test cricketers team.

Kumar hasn’t attended a test match in Australia since day five of Australia vs India at the SCG two years ago.

However, he did attend last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, organized and overseen by the International Cricket Council, the sport’s global governing body.

His two sons were mascots throughout the tournament, says Kumar, and it’s partly because of them that he chose to pursue his claim with CA and Venues NSW.

He added: “As a parent, you need to talk. “For me, it’s essential that they have a better experience growing up and they shouldn’t try harder because of the color of their skin.”