Educate cricketers on racism: Darren Sammy

CHENNAI: Ever since

George Floyd

's demise in the US, many sportspersons have come out to talk about their experience with racism. Cricket has been no exception with West Indies players like Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle openly talking about the racist issues surrounding the sport.


On Sunday, Sammy called for the importance of educating cricketers to obliterate the menace of racism from the sport. "A player needs to understand that if there is any word that could be degrading or demeaning, it is not to be used. I decided to talk about it with people who referred to me with the objectionable word. They assured me that it wasn't coming from a place of malice. I also pointed that they shouldn't have used the word even though they meant no harm. So it has been a learning experience," Sammy said.

"There is a need for education at a systematic level. Just as there is an emphasis on education around anti-doping or anti-corruption, the same emphasis must be given to educating the youth on anti-racism in order to help young cricketers understand diversity in cricket and adapt early on," the two-time T20 World Cup winning captain of the West Indies team said.

Sammy was speaking on International Cricket Council (ICC)'s online series 'Interviews Inside Out', which was moderated by former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop. The discussions included former women's World Cup and T20 World Cup winner from England Isa Guha, former South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy, two-time World Cup winner with Australia and leading coach Tom Moody and former Pakistan player Bazid Khan.