Across the UK, the US, and beyond, anti-immigration rhetoric and far-right ideologies have marched into the mainstream.
Just weeks ago, more than 100,000 people filled London’s streets in a rally organised by white supremacists, underscoring the scale of this shift.
With some polls showing that 30 per cent of the public would back the nationalist Reform party at the next election, ethnic minority communities in the UK are deeply concerned.
In this climate, what role can sport play in easing divisions?
This was the premise for the latest episode, in which I was joined by two brilliant guests.

• Sanjay Bhandari MBE wears many hats across UK sport - as Chair of Kick It Out, Super League Basketball and Athletics Ventures, Sanjay has been at the forefront of pushing for fairer representation, opening doors for ethnic minorities, and making sure leadership in sport and business better reflects the communities they serve.

  
  

• Javan Odegah brings the connective tissue to Leaders in Sport, where he shapes partnerships and programmes with a real focus on inclusion, diversity and equity. His work is all about making sure big conversations in sport translate into genuine impact, both inside organisations and across the wider industry.
  

This is an episode I have wanted to record for some time, and it was genuinely fascinating to understand the perspectives of two professionals who are committed to driving equality and inclusion through sport.
We discuss sport’s responsibility to make spaces more inclusive, the important work of groups like Kick It Out, and how football so often goes hand in hand with politics and national pride.
We also get into why ‘taking the knee’ seemed to lose momentum, and whether gestures can still be powerful or needed at this time.