Wednesday 17 October 2018 13:24, UK
The Houses of Parliament are celebrating Black History Month with a photographic exhibition to showcase the contributions made by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) coaches in athletics.
The exhibition, called 'COACH', celebrates the contributions of black and Asian athletes and coaches, both past and present, from grassroots to elite level and is open to the public until October 19 at the Palace of Westminster.
COACH tells the unique story of the athlete-coach relationship, encompassing the integrity and leadership styles coaches have for their athletes both on and off the track, along with unseen moments and anecdotes.
Speaking to Sky Sports News at the launch of the exhibition, former world and Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu said: "I've spent a lot of time with a lot of coaches through my career so it's great to see them being recognised in this way.
"Going into an Olympic final, my coach was the only person who knew what to say to me - that's the importance of a coach.
"It's nice to see them celebrated in this way because they don't get celebrated enough.
"We're celebrating BAME coaches and it fits into Black History Month because it's a nice time of celebration of what diversity has contributed to the sport and the country as a whole."
Donna Fraser, UK Athletics vice-president, added: "We're always focused on the athlete and their performance, that's all you see.
"I think this project actually captures the moments that the athletes and the coaches spend behind the scenes. You can see that. They don't get recognised, they often get forgotten."
Arun Kang, Sporting Equals chief executive, said: "If you don't have the coaches who are role models, who emphasise with diversity and culture and all the other challenges faced by youth athletes, then you are going to lose talent along the way."
