RAHEEM STERLING AWARDED FOR SOCIAL ACTIVISM AT BTSIA
May 3, 2019
Last week, Manchester City and England star Raheem Sterling was awarded The Integrity and Impact Award founded by Dow Jones Sports Intelligence at the BT Sport Industry Awards 2019 – the largest commercial sport awards in the world – marking a year in which the footballer used his platform and voice to speak out on a range of social issues.
Sterling received the award from his international manager Gareth Southgate and presenter Dan Walker at the event at Battersea Evolution in London. The honour recognises the City star’s fight against racism in football and how he has used his considerable platform, both in the UK and abroad, to call for more to be done to deter racial abuse within the game.
He told 1,700 assembled sport industry guests: “I was just speaking about my personal experiences, I didn’t expect it to get so much attention, I just wanted to bring it to the attention of my audience on Instagram. It’s been really pleasing to see people listening and trying and do better."
Sterling becomes the second recipient of the international award, following in the footsteps of Rachel Denhollander, who was the first survivor to speak out against disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and became the inaugural recipient in 2018.
Simon Greenberg, Head of Sport, Dow Jones, said: “As founder and title sponsor of The Integrity and Impact Award, Dow Jones Sports Intelligence congratulates Raheem Sterling for the impact his actions have had in addressing racism in football and other important social issues of diversity and inclusivity, always doing so with integrity and honesty."
Former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Tony Blair was also in attendance at the BT Sport Industry Awards at Battersea Evolution to posthumously honour his friend and former colleague Dame Tessa Jowell in front of her family.
The Labour MP and minister was recognised by the sport industry for her services to sport, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and its legacy with the launch of the Tessa Jowell Social Impact Award.
The award - currently called the Social and Sustainable Development Award - will be renamed from 2020, and recognises the organisations that drive environmental, community or broader social benefits through sport.
Blair said: “For Tessa, the Olympics was never just about bringing home the glory and medals for Britain, though she wanted plenty of both - but about sport and its often colossal and underestimated ability to be a force for good.”
Our sister company, Sport Industry Group, runs the annual BT Sport Industry awards. Sport Industry Group supports business across the sport sector, bringing the industry together through a series of world-class events, leading editorial content and a genuinely unparalleled network of influential figures from across the British and international sporting landscape. It focuses on three key pillars: Share, Connect and Celebrate.