From the death of george floyd in the united states, sporting stars around the world have made their own contribution to the debate. This is black lives matter a sporting perspective. May the 25th, 2020. Mobile phone footage of an arrest, the suspects final words would reverberate around the world. A word i cant breathe a killing in minneapolis which reignited the global fight for equality. Accused of using a fake bank note, his death will become a catalyst for change. His name. George floyd you have to be blind to not see the mistreatment of black people and how this is systemic. The light has been shown on it. Everybody sees it now. I have never felt so sick to my stomach in my life. And when i look at that man, i see my dad, i see my little brother. When i first saw the video, i wept. I was in tears. We, the National Football league, condemn racism there is only so much people can take, especially black people. Its been going on for hundreds of years and people are tired and are ready for change. A friend asked me why i want to go to the protest because racism only occurs in the us, not england. And i had to explain to him that this is not the case and it is that White Privilege that everybody is talking about that you dont necessarily notice it and it is upsetting that people are saying i have to look out for myself or have to protect myself for no reason other than the fact that im black. The fist is the fist. It resonates throughout the world. It means power, pride, and faith. My cry for freedom in 1968. Black lives have always mattered. They matter, they matter now and they will matter in the future. Thank you. Cheering. Germany. New zealand. Japan. Caech republic. America. And the uk. 2020 produced some of the most striking antiracism images seen for decades. Using momentum generated by the anger surrounding the death the death of george floyd, athletes from a multitude of sports took the opportunity to deliver a clear message it was time for change. Its the most momentum around this decade old issue that ive ever seen in my lifetime. This murder of george floyd has highlighted an issue that has been with us in this country and something we have been dealing with as a country for over 50 years now. And that is the systemic and institutionalized racism that happens every single day in this country. People are fed up with it, not just black people. White people who know that. They see the hypocrisy and what we talk about as a country and what we stand for, and they see that is not happening. They are fed up too. We have never been under such a magnifying glass, a positive magnifying glass, where people were where people are actually listening. Like, they hear us all the time. For 400 years we have been heard but we have never been listened to and action has never taken place as rapidly as it is now. So now is the time to call those people out and demand change. I want to put my kid in gymnastics. I want to have my kid play with other kids to school and for it to not be a problem. And it starts now with changing the future. And it starts with education, and not by having black people educate the public. I had to learn myself my true history. American history is so brainwashed. I had to take it upon myself to learn my real heritage. This is a worldwide uprising and i feel so. If there is such a thing as world peace, this feels really close to it. And it warms my heart in a way that has never been touched before. When we can see with our own two eyes the reality of the situation, for decades, nobody believed black americans when they said the police harassed and used excessive force. Young black americans are really seeing that the activism is necessary to contend with some of the things that happen to them, they are taking a responsible attitude in dealing with it and im pleased when i see that. It is gone on for over a number of generations now. The process and reaction that followed were not just the protests and reaction that followed were not just about one mans death. It was about racism and prejudice. It is really sad to see this is what it takes for people to start noticing, not noticing, but start saying stuff but why should it be recorded . Why werent people this way before . And it is really tough seeing his family and his kids, but the movement he has started, hopefully it will echo an eternity and this will be the time and the day that everything changes. Seven time formula i World Champion lewis hamilton, claimed as the sports only black driver, it was a battle he often felt he was fighting alone. After a series of tweets, in which he voiced his anger at being that lone figure, other fi drivers responded, saying previously they had remained silence over issues like this saying previously they had remained silent over issues like this and accepted it was also their responsibility to speak up against discrimination. A lot of the discrimination black people face, whether it is day to day experiences or a more overt systemic form, can be traced back to the slave trade and places like this, liverpool docks. During the 19th century, vessel after vessel left the african continent. 0nboard, shackled and cramped, woman, and children. 0nboard, and shackled, cramped, man, woman, and children. Those lucky or could be argued unlucky enough to survive the journey were then sold into slavery. After slavery was officially abolished, the newly freed former slaves found themselves living in a society that still largely deemed them inferior. And it is claimed the aftermath of that system is still being felt today. Our history books for our kids in this country tells them very little about slavery, about the 100 years ofjim crow laws when black people were considered three fifths of the worth of white people, and we didnt have the right to vote, the civil rights movement, our history books tell our people very little about that, which is part of the reason why white people dont get it, because they never have even been taught that this is what happened. This is the legacy of slavery. This is what it did to people who were taken from their land, killed, brought to this country as slaves, existed for years as slaves, for centuries, and then given their freedom and then given their freedom but there was no freedom, and 100 years of continued oppression and legal discrimination. If you do not know that history and know what that would do to a person. What do we do when we read Something Like that . We automatically put ourselves and imagine what that will be like if we were in that situation. You would then be able to empathize. But you cannot empathize of something you dont even understand. If it all appears that we alljust ended up here and all equal and all started at the same place, certainly you do not understand. Sport has always played an Important Role in tackling discrimination. Whether it is a simple question of respect or inclusion, to more complex political issues, like war, athletes have always used their platform and profile to fight for what they believe in. Jesse owens at the Olympic Games in 1936 in berlin. Games in 1936 in berlin. Four gold medals in less than an hour. And credited with crushing hitlers dreams of aryan supremacy. Althea gibson, a five time grand slam winner during the 1950s. An incredible feat, considering it was during a period where black americans were banned from most tennis clubs. Muhammad ali, jailed and stripped of his heavyweight title, for refusing to be enlisted into the us army and fight in vietnam. Then there is tommy smith, mexico city, 1968. The demonstration regarded as one of the most overtly political statements in the history of sports. A silent gesture heard around the world. We had atrocities just before i stepped on the victory stand. You had dr Martin Luther king. You had the kennedys. You had malcolm x. You had a plethora of murders, of social movements, being gathered and i think 68 was one of those times when people would have to stop, and they did stop and think of why that victory stand had to happen. It is not plentiful in thought that tommy smith wanted to do it, but it was his responsibility to show that need and i think the athletes today are doing basically the same thing, people like Colin Kaepernick, who has been seen all over the world, took a knee. I took a stand, but were moving in the same direction. Have you seen the footage of George Floyds final moments and what was your reaction as you watched that video . Very sad. Very uncalled for. Totally uncalled for. But murder is always uncalled for. Especially when you have no confidence in your being in a position that you are, which the police were. Totally eradicated a life which was uncalled for and certainly desperation on their part was so outlandish that it cost a life of a person who should not have been in the position, with the head down with the knee on the carotid artery area and took his life. How can you live in a society that is called freedom when we know that there are certain people that are targeted, we are sick and tired of seeing our Black Brothers and sisters lives placed in danger and that white person on the neck calling it policing. That is only one case. There are many cases like this that you have never heard of. And you will hear them as we move through this system of uncovering racism. More than 50 years ago, tommy smith made a stand. But the issue of race has not gone away in society or in sport. The lack of black managers in the English Premier League has long been a criticism, considering black players make up a large portion of the squads. The same can also be said for the top leagues in germany, spain, and italy. Steven gerrard, your frank lampards, your Sol Campbells and your ashley coles, they all respectfully have done their coaching badges, clutching at the highest level. The two that have not been given the right opportunities, the two black former players. In recent years, the man city and England Forward claims he has been the target of negative attention from the media. Because of the colour of his skin. With parts of the press reinforcing racial stereotypes. Theres only so much people can take only so much communities and other backgrounds can take, especially black people. It is been going on for hundreds of years and people are tired. People are ready for change, and i see a lot of people on socials and stuff supporting the cause, but this is something that is more than just talking. We need to actually implement change and highlight the places that do the changes. That do need changing. But this is something that i myself will continue to do. And spark these debates and people in my industry looking at themselves and thinking what they can do to give people an equal chance in this country. In america, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been a another outspoken antiracism campaigner. The taking of a knee, replicated by so many athletes since was a gesture first taken by the american footballer and 2016. A direct protest against police brutality, kaepernick has not played a game in the league since. His actions prompted a direct response from president donald trump. Wouldnt you love to see one of these nfl owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a. Off the field right now . Hes fired days after george floyd died, some of the most well known names in the nfl broke rank. Calling out their own league. George floyds death came during the global covid 19 pandemic. Yet despite warnings against breaking social distancing rules, several athletes left the safety of their homes to lend support to the black lives matter movement. No matter how big or small your platform is, use your voice. I saw a dr king quote that said the silence of the good people is worse than the brutality of the bad people. So we need to not be silent. If you are choosing silence, you are choosing to be silent and oppressors. I heard many things i heard this week, like it is not my problem. This is what i have to tell you if you listen to black music, if you like black culture come if you have black friends, then this is your fight too on the field of play, sport is a great leveler. The best performance should win, regardless of skin colour. But many black stars still have to navigate racial barriers. Collinjackson is one of britains best known track and field athletes. But his life could have been very different had he not been put off the sport he first fell in love with. The biggest problem was when i played cricket as a kid. I was a captain of my school team, and five of us going in for the opportunity to play for wales, in that sense, four got through in the national team, and the fifth person, who was the captain, did not get through. Now, i only see one reason for that. There is only reason. That is the reason why i walked away from cricket right there and then. That was not the sport for me. One of the problems that we have, because we dont have role models across all industries, that is where our problems lie. And we find ourselves in sport as a race because that is a very secure place for us. We see many People Like Us performing at the highest level, and achieving, so it is a secure area for us to develop and aspire to be. But if we created that same space in any business and in every walk of life, black people would be just as successful in every single area of society, notjust sport as people perceive. The thing that excites me is you can talk openly now without people rolling their eyes at you, thinking, here you go again. Established stars can reflect on what has happened and what is happened during their careers. For many upcoming sports stars, the future is daunting. I have been warned by family, friends and a few strangers even that i need to be careful when im out in public or around policemen because of the colour my skin and that is a shame to hear. Darcy boren has represented england at under 21 level. For the next stage in her development, she is flying to the us, where she has a sporting scholarship at Duke University in north carolina. It is upsetting that people are saying i have to look out for myself or have to protect myself for no reason other than the fact that im black. A woman, id never met before but we talked about how i was going to america and she just moved back from america. She was white but her husband is black. She told me that i should carry a pocket pistol or pepper spray to protect myself, because people will want to attack me. I dont intend on bringing a gun with me but it is a shame that she felt so passionately that she needed to tell me that that i was in danger. There is no doubt social media has played a key part in what we have seen this year. Firstly, sharing images of injustices, but also secondly the support from those demanding change. This image of 18 year old darcy went viral after she was pictured at a protest in london. It was even shared by the son of civil rights campaigner Martin Luther king junior. Ijust wrote black lives matter and the fist in a painted a sign in the middle of the night and decided to put the question, because i was watching videos and seeing all political sides of the debate but i dont understand why it should be a debate. Not many people actually call themselves racist but racism still exists. I didnt think anything of it. The next day when i went to instagram, the editor in chief and it went viral very quickly and celebrities posting it and strangers reaching out to me and it was nice to see. It was when Martin Luther king the third posted it, iwas it was when Martin Luther king the third posted it, i was speechless. Her future and how much difficulty she will face because of the collaborative scan is still up in the air. But George Floyds death has directly impacted her future in sport and in society. And the same can be said but millions more around the world. We have all learned now that this is at a point, you get to a point that you have to choose a side. And we are at that point now. We look at the momentum behind this, and how it has shown a spotlight on and magnified the problems that have been systemic in this country for so long, there has been a great deal of effort to hide and sweep under the carpet, but now that is been exposed. It the change is coming. It is coming in a way that it should have happened two times over because the power of racist tendencies or racism or systematic racism, we are going to and write an era where there will will be change, yes, we will in this stupidity sooner or later. George floyds legacy could have been born for this particular reason, that his name, his death, is going to change the lives of so many black people across the planet, forever. Hello, its a cold and wintry end to 2020. Some mist and murk around. We have had some sunshine but also some wintry showers. Some speckled cloud. Some of the showers have been bringing snow. Been bringing snow, even to quite low levels in parts of wales and the southwest. This more general area of cloudiness across scotland will be sinking south into northern ireland. A mix of rain and snow. Most of the snow over high ground. Slightly less cold air working in with the weather system, very chilly, especially across the south this evening. Overnight, as we end the old year and start the new one, we keep this band of rain, sleet and hill snow moving across parts of north england into wales. To the south of that, mist and fog will reform. Freezing fog, temperatures as low as minus four or minus five degrees. Quite chilly further north as well, particularly inland spots in scotland and northern ireland. Tomorrow, a mix of sunny spells and showers. Showers still wintry over high ground, especially in northern scotland. It will stay quite cloudy and murky as it moves towards the south. Another rather cold day, with temperatures getting to between three and six celsius at best. As we hand deeper into the new year out of saturday, quite a familiar weather set up by now, it brings us a northerly wind, not a desperately strong wind, i have to say. It will bring some showers into northern and eastern coastal counties, some wintry over high ground, still one oi wintry over high ground, still one or two showers and parts of pembrokeshire and cornwall, some sunshine in between and what will be another rather cold day. We stick with that chilly theme, as we move into sunday, but by this stage High Pressure is likely to build to the north of the british isles, lower pressure to the south. See the isobar is starting to squeeze together. The wind will pick up and it will come from a slightly different direction, and east or north easterly direction, but still it is going to feel cold, as we head through next week. There is going to bea through next week. There is going to be a lot of dry weather around, there will be some spells of sunshine, that is the forecast for the next five days. But there will also be some rain at times, some of which could turn wintry with some sleet and snow over the hills. This is bbc world news im matthew amroliwala. Our top stories. The uk and the eu get ready for a new chapter in their relationship as the clock ticks down, to the post brexit era. The highly infectious coronavirus variant that was first identified in britain, spreads to the us with a second case identified in the state of colorado. Ill be speaking live to the governor of colorado, about what he intends to do to stop the spread of the virus. Also on the programme. China approves its first, home produced corona virus vaccine for general use claiming its nearly 80 effective. And goodbye 2020, hello 2021 this is the scene live in bangkok as thailand begins its new year celebrations. Wuhan in china welcomes the new year