Richard Whitehead MBE: Dare to Defy
Often, sport is both applauded and criticised for its inclusivity and accessibility. It’s a medium that has the power to bring people all around the globe together or leave some feeling incredibly isolated. The reality is that sport is not as inclusive as we like to believe.
This week, I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of Dare to Defy. Created by Paralympic legend, Richard Whitehead MBE, and LGBTQ+ advocate and broadcaster-turned-marathon-runner Adele Roberts, the three-part documentary aims to shine a light on the barriers faced by some to be involved in sport.
Throughout the documentary, various sports are explored regarding their inclusivity in Whitehead and Roberts’ quest to create a ‘fully, truly inclusive’ running event. With the support of Nissan, this journey allows viewers to gain a comprehension of what true inclusivity means, the barriers they or others may face, and provides a bright ray of inspiration as sport opens up to all.
Before the screening began, I had the privilege of sitting down with Whitehead to discuss inclusivity in sport, what the documentary found, and his hopes for the future.
The perception of inclusivity
Instinctively, many people’s perceptions of inclusivity will be shaped by their own experiences. Despite being advocates for the communities they are both a part of, both Richard and Adele found that they learnt a lot.
Whitehead said: “As we went through the process of filming the documentary and investigating the different elements of the areas of the documentary, we really found layers of barriers and obstacles for these communities.
“It gave us lots of solutions around what we were going to take into our event, ‘Run to The Future.’”
During their journey, the duo learnt a lot, which developed their perceptions of inclusivity ahead of their event. It highlighted to all those involved, and hopefully to those watching the documentary, that there’s still a lot of progress to be made.
He added: “The production team really learnt a lot about the areas of expertise from us both, but also gave us both the opportunity to look at what our perceptions of inclusivity. And hopefully upskill ourselves as there’s so much work still to be done.
“For us both, it gave us a round representation, because a lot of people when they go into this kind of environment, they’ve got a self-conscious bias around what inclusion is.
“I think because we’re representing a wider community, we’re talking about ‘us’, not ‘me and my.’”
The process
With the help of Nissan, the documentary looks into various sports and how people from underrepresented communities can achieve their aspirations within sport when given equal opportunity.
The company already run initiatives to help those that do not have access to equal opportunity, such as the Nissan Connect – a running event for the visually impaired. ‘Run to the Future’ is an extension of the Nissan Possibilities Project, with open-minded and authentic contributions that help facilitate the required change.
Having been involved with Nissan since 2013, Whitehead added: “They massively support my foundation, the Richard Whitehead foundation.
“We’ve got a supported runner programme, as well as the beneficiaries programme which provides young people, over the age of 18, that want to be able to run that haven’t got the equipment or the expertise to be able to do that.
“I think for us, it was all about a process of collaboration. Having brands such as Nissan on board really creates that great platform and gives us the opportunities to authentically dive into some of the sports that are doing things really well, and then also some of the barriers and obstacles that people are telling us are stopping them from being the person they want to be and living life to the full.”
As research and planning progressed, solutions to barriers began to take shape. On paper, it seems simple and had me questioning why it has been left to Whitehead and Roberts to become trailblazers in inclusivity.
He said: “Solution-wise it’s about opportunity and how you create those opportunities by removing some of those barriers and obstacles.
“But also education, a lot of education regarding these barriers and obstacles and what discrimination really is as well.
“And then there’s layers: if you’re a woman, with a disability that’s in the LGBTQ+ community that’s also trying to get involved in sport. It’s the layers of that, that intersectionality approach that we’ve gone through that creates obstacles.
“Inclusion should be at the heart of every decision, not an afterthought.”
For me, this was that simple statement that seems to have been overlooked in the past. Why has inclusivity always been an afterthought or an adaptation to the initial plan? Whitehead and Roberts had a firm objective in mind, and it was to stop this being the case.
Run to the Future
The documentary culminates with Whitehead and Roberts’ event, Run to the Future. The event hosted 2k and 5k races, aiming to allow everyone to be involved, regardless of disability, gender, sexuality or race.
The event created a platform, and a foundation for change. It was an opportunity for anyone, regardless of background, to finally be on the right side of participation.
He said: “From that event we put on at the Olympic stadium, we really showcased the importance of it and for some people that came to that event, it was the first 5k they’ve ever run.
“They’d never run before with their family and friends, people with disabilities, non-disabled people.
“And the offshoot of that is a more sustainable future, whether it’s mental health or physical health.”
What made this event such a success was the dedication to ensuring inclusivity remained at the heart of the blueprint, and went beyond the event itself.
Whitehead added: “We wanted a very friendly, upbeat event, but an event where participants felt like they were supported.
“Not just actually at the event but getting to the event and what happens next.”
What does the future hold for inclusive sport?
By adding considerations that went beyond the event, Whitehead hopes to have had an impact on the formula used by major event organisers to help promote inclusivity in the future.
“Hopefully we’re going to have a sustainable impact for events, and whether that’s through my foundation itself or through another such as this, or actually consulting with major events about what we’ve found and implementing some of the positive changes that we’ve made.
“There are some incredible events out there that have really started that process of representation… but I don’t see enough people with disabilities like myself at those events. And I definitely don’t see enough people of colour at those events as well. That’s a real thing we need to address and this documentary opens up the conversations about doing more.
“We all have a responsibility to be inclusive and a responsibility to hold people to account.”
With the changes being made at events, sport could be on the road to inclusivity. But undoubtedly, changes are needed throughout governing bodies.
Whitehead said: “It’s also about having a voice within those sports. Within the national governing bodies, performance directors of all the sports within the Olympics and Paralympics don’t have a representative with a disability at the heads of those sports.
“Seeing is believing within sport. If you can’t see it’s possible to get into those jobs, how can you see that it’s possible to have an impact on moving forwards. We need representation at the top of the pyramid within those sports.”
The series is due to be released on December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on Prime Video.
