Understanding LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean
A scoping study across Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean reveals how LGBTQIA+ people continue to face barriers in sport, and the role communities are already playing in creating safer, more inclusive spaces.
For many LGBTQIA+ people, participating openly and safely in sport continues to depend on the environment* they enter, the people around them and the policies and practices that shape their experience.
At the adidas Foundation, we wanted to better understand these conditions and what organizations and funders can do to help change them. We therefore commissioned a scoping study exploring LGBTQIA+ inclusion, participation and representation in sport across diverse contexts in Europe and Latin America. The research was designed not simply to identify barriers, but to highlight opportunities for programming, partnerships, advocacy, and investment.
*These experiences are not uniform and can also be shaped by intersecting factors such as gender, race and ethnicity, disability, age, socioeconomic circumstances, migration status and geography.
Bringing together LGBTQIA+ expertise and regional perspectives
The scoping study was conducted by a consortium of LGBTQIA+ organizations with complementary regional and international expertise, including the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), ILGA World and ILGA LAC.
Across both regions, the research brings together existing evidence with the perspectives and experiences of organizations and stakeholders working at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ inclusion and sport.
Read the LGBTQIA+ Inclusion, Participation and Representation in Sport Scoping Study in europe
From policy to participation
Explore how laws, governance, and sport systems shape LGBTQIA+ inclusion across Europe.
Where barriers persist
Examine the structural, cultural, and practical factors that can affect who feels able to participate safely.
What change can look like
Discover emerging practices, case studies, and opportunities for more inclusive sport.
From understanding barriers to supporting change
The study shows that LGBTQIA+ inclusion in sport is shaped by interconnected factors, from legislation and policy to organizational capacity, inclusive safeguarding practices, representation and the everyday culture within sport environments. Importantly, policies and formal commitments to equality are important, but do not on their own automatically translate into safer, inclusive and affirming experiences on the ground.
These insights reinforce the importance of supporting community-led and grassroots organizations, as well as organizations with trusted relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities. This is why, alongside the scoping study, the adidas Foundation has developed Play for Pride . In this project, the Foundation is working with IGLYO to bring LGBTQIA+ organizations and grassroots sport organizations together, with funding, mentorship and peer learning supporting them to create safer and more inclusive sport environments and practices.
Read the LGBTQIA+ Inclusion, Participation and Representation in Sport Scoping Study in Latin America and the Caribbean
A diverse regional picture
Explore how different social, political, and sporting contexts shape LGBTQIA+ participation across both regions.
Unequal access and opportunity
Examine how identity, geography, economic inequality, and institutional structures intersect with participation.
Learning from communities
Explore case studies and community-led approaches offering insight into where change can begin.
Research as an enabler
For the adidas Foundation, research is one of the enablers of our work. It helps us understand where barriers and evidence gaps exist, learn from the expertise, knowledge and lived experience of LGBTQIA+ community and organizations, challenge our assumptions, and make more informed decisions about where our resources can contribute.
By publishing the full scoping study, we hope its findings can support not only our own work, but also the work of sport organizations, LGBTQIA+ organizations, funders, policymakers and others committed to making sport a place where more people can participate, belong and thrive.
The insights of the report reinforce the importance of supporting community-led and grassroots organizations, as well as organizations with trusted relationships with LGBTQIA+ communities. This is why, alongside the scoping study, the adidas Foundation has developed its Play for Pride project.
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