Equal opportunity laws make discrimination on various grounds unlawful:

• race
• sex
• age
• disability
• pregnancy
• sexuality
• marital status

Sexual harassment and victimisation are also unlawful.

However, things like age, gender and disability can have significant effects on sporting ability. These differences are most evident at the elite sport level. For example, compare the power of the best male tennis players with the power of the best female tennis players.

To take into account these differences, and to make sure there is fair competition, the law allows for teams to be organised into groups such as age groups, or sometimes single-sex groups.

Here are some examples of unfair and possibly unlawful discrimination:

Sex Discrimination

Prizes of different value are given for male and female competition in the same club.

Racial Discrimination

An Aboriginal player is overlooked for team selection, due to his race.

Age Discrimination

A club refuses to clear players to other teams because they are under 21.

Marital Status Discrimination

A player is deliberately excluded from team activities and social functions after she divorces her husband who is a club official.

Pregnancy Discrimination

A woman is dropped from her softball team when she reveals she is pregnant.

Sexuality Discrimination

A footballer is ridiculed by his team mates after his homosexuality is disclosed.

Impairment or Disability Discrimination

A junior player is overlooked because of her mild epilepsy.

Sexual Harassment

A male tennis coach keeps putting his hand on a woman's bottom during coaching sessions, making her feel very uncomfortable.

Victimisation

A player is ostracised by her coach for complaining about his racist behaviour to another club official.

Where to next>> Understanding child protection