Leading South African racing operator Ms. Fundi Sithebe has called for more inclusivity and diversity in the sport, encouraging the dismantlement of stereotypes.
Speaking at the 40th Asian Racing Conference in Sapporo, Japan, the 4Racing Chief Executive Officer is the first black female to lead a South African horse racing organisation.
She said 4Racing was focused on attracting a more diverse audience, including young and black South Africans.
“There is an emphasis on inclusivity and equal opportunities for all stakeholders, particularly marginalised groups like grooms, as evidenced by the Grooms Trust,” Ms. Sithebe said.
She said to foster inclusivity and encourage diversity, three pivotal points had to be considered, with education the starting point.
“We need to actively dismantle stereotypes, (that) ‘women aren’t good enough,” she said.
“We need to educate our teams and embed inclusivity within our company cultures. It’s about conversation, awareness and the desire to learn from one another.”
Empowerment and empathy were the other two pivotal points.
Ms. Sithebe, who has a private pilot’s licence, spoke of the dangers of not being inclusive and diverse and the perceptions and challenges the industry faces if it doesn’t embrace diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and the markets in which the industry serves.
In an earlier discussion, pioneering French female jockey Ms. Delphine Santiago spoke about her journey in becoming the first female jockey to ride 700 winners.
Making her debut in 1995, she became the first and only woman to achieve the Champion Apprentice title in a male dominated sport and set a record for the number of wins for a female rider in a year (59).
“I was injured a few times and it hasn’t always been easy, but I have ridden 705 winners,” she said.
Retired jockey Mr. Kanichiro Fujii, who became a paraplegic after a race fall at Fukushima Racecourse in 2022, also spoke of his life in and out of the saddle.
Mr. Fujii spoke of his career struggles and injury but is committed to helping the next generation of jockeys.
“It took me 25 years to get a JRA license in 2019, I applied six times, but I had a fall in 2022, and I didn’t know what to do.
“I started riding in Sydney, then Singapore, South Korea and China. I studied hard and then got my JRA license.
"Nowadays, I want to help fellow Japanese jockeys or help jockeys riding in Japan,” Mr. Fujii said.
