SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
UK racing has launched its first integrity-led campaign “Respect in Racing”, to promote the collective ambition to establish “the highest standards of behaviour and a culture of respect across all levels of horseracing.”
Announced by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the campaign has been developed by a cross-industry working party comprised of UK racing’s major bodies, who share a unified ambition to improve integrity standards.
The launch of the Respect in Racing campaign will see UK racing adopt a new industry Code of Conduct from 8 October, with the aim of fostering ever-more respectful, supportive, and safer working environments.
The Code was developed in consultation with all UK racing’s major bodies to establish shared values on conduct and unified objectives to help improve integrity matters.
Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA said: “Racing is a sport which is built on values of camaraderie and care, but at the same time it is an elite sporting environment where the stakes and pressure are high. The respect campaign, and the code of conduct which underpins it, is a reminder that we should always do our best to treat each other with the respect and dignity that we all deserve. “It is important that the sport’s main stakeholders have come together to support this campaign, and we are grateful to everyone involved.”
The campaign will be initially rolled out via posters across British racing venues and will be further promoted on the digital platforms of UK racing’s representative bodies.
The BHA confirmed that the Code of Conduct would be applied as a new discipline of its regulatory framework, providing “clear actions and sanctions available to deal with any breaches of integrity.”
Of significance, the Code has established joint rules on how racing bodies should deal with violations/discrepancies related to online bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination and sexual misconduct.
“I am hugely grateful to all the Respect in Racing working group members for their active involvement in the work to support the campaign,” said Laura Whyte, BHA Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Culture of Respect Working Party.
“I hope that the introduction of the Code of Conduct and this supportive campaign will ensure everyone in our industry enjoys a positive working life. The Respect in Racing group will continue supporting educational initiatives as needed and monitor progress in the future”
