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Have you ever been insulted by another player because of your skincolour our or religion?Σ 202 pupilsFirst generation76%17%Good PracticeSecond generationNativeNever er67%these efforts have to be continued and evenintensified. “If we were to stop such programmes,the phenomenon would immediatelyproliferate, flushing away the successesof past initiatives.” 7The situation is quite different in easternEurope, where there is a significant lack ofproject experience, and both overt and institutionalracism in sport are part of the dailyroutine.86%22%0% 100%SometimesOften/AlwaysChart 2.03: Victims of racist incidents; breakdown by generationDon't want to sayThe presence of aggression and nationalismamong fans in stadiums is also apparent inRussia – even in other sports, such as basketballand handball. Overt racism in Russia canbe explained by the situation in Russian society,which is closely related to the increasinglynationalist and racist tendencies amongRussian “ultras”.Government support can makethe difference7%No answer■ “School of supporting –The Dragons”, ItalyA SUSU-supported schools programmein Italy called “School ofsupporting – The Dragons” aimsspecifically to improve the conductof fans at sports events.This is a new approach targetingchildren aged 11 to 15 that revolvesaround the idea that racism insport can be beaten by promotinga culture of rooting for your ownteam, rather than being againstyour opponents. Before matches,meetings are organised betweenplayers, referees, the police andpupils; and during matches,educators in the stands (one forevery 20 children) help the childrento support their team in differentand creative ways.■ “The existing projects are just adrop of water on a hot stone.” 8Alexander RakowitzEven though there are low numbers of ethnicminorities in Poland, there is a structuralform of racial discrimination which is linked tothe culture of the sports supporter. “This cultureis aggressive, xenophobic and racist andleads to discrimination against people fromdifferent ethnic backgrounds, who wouldotherwise like to take part in fan culture. Forexample, the Roma population would like toattend sports events, especially at local level,but this is still impossible in Poland. They arecompletely excluded.” 9During an economic downturn, governmentsoften cut funding for initiatives that focus onfighting racism. This is counter-productive,since racism tends to increase in times ofhardship, when jobs are scarce and the nationalmood is characterised by anxiety andanguish.■ “The negative aspect is that allthis is an end in itself: when theeconomic support ends, all thesevery important activities end.” 10Marcello GiannatiempoThe progress that has been made in certaincountries could be halted or even reversed7Interview with German project officer Reinhard Koch, 12 October 2012.8Interview with Serbian project officer Alexander Rakowitz, 6 October 2012.9Interview with Polish expert Rafał Pankowski, 6 November 2012.10Interview with Italian expert Marcello Giannatiempo, 8 November 2012.DISCRIMINATION IN SPORTKING BAUDOUIN FOUNDATION9