Diabetes in Sport

Parent One told me their 10-year-old child was virtually forced out of their football team because the manager said he could not cope with the child’s condition, even though the parent attended every match and training session and never asked for special treatment. They moved their child to another team where the manager also had type 1 diabetes, which helped. Parent Two described being actively discouraged from sending their son to a swimming lesson. They offered to monitor and treat him as needed, train a staff member and comply with safeguarding checks, but were told no parents were allowed in and their offers were refused. They only found another swim class after contacting Swim England directly. Parent Three shared their experiences with karate. After diagnosis, they were initially welcomed because the sensei’s stepson also had type 1 diabetes, but after a hypo incident treated on the sidelines, they were asked to leave the dojo for

“eating and not keeping still,”

which was deeply upsetting and led them to stop going to classes.

Another parent spoke of their child not being selected for a school cricket tournament because the sports lead did not want the “hassle” of caring for him, even though children with no interest in cricket were picked. Another child was sidelined from hockey matches after a coach showed clear misunderstanding and frustration about managing a hypo incident. The child eventually switched to football where the support was better. Even at elite level, a young player in a premier league performance squad experienced exclusion from games after a hypo, despite family reassurance that he was fit to play. The coach never checked in and the player did not get a single minute in an important match, leaving him deeply upset. He ultimately left the club despite the apologies and offers of training for coaches—all because of stigma about something that affects millions of people in this country.

Moving more can substantially reduce the risk of diabetes. For example, moving more can reduce the adult population’s relative risk of type 2 diabetes by 40%. For people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, being active helps manage the condition; in particular, it reduces the likelihood of serious complications, such as stroke and heart disease. In fact, moving more can, over time, help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood glucose levels. Of course, being physically active is incredibly good for mental health as well as physical health.

My hon. Friend knows all this, which is why he brought forward the debate. The challenge for all of us is how we ensure that those with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, can benefit from physical activity. While every person’s experience is unique, common barriers for people with diabetes include pain, fatigue and sometimes the necessity of regular injections. I was particularly concerned to hear that people with diabetes have also reported that stigma has held them back from doing more physical activity.

The national “We Are Undefeatable” campaign, funded by Sport England, inspires and supports people to be active by showing people living with a variety of conditions—both visible and invisible—on their journeys to being active. The campaign aims to address the stigma around exercising with disabilities and long-term health conditions, to reduce exclusion from physical activity.

My hon. Friend the Member for Redditch gave incredibly powerful and moving examples of the impact that stigma can have, showing clearly that there is more to do to ensure that the sport sector provides the support needed for those with diabetes. We expect all national governing bodies to have plans in place to support those with long-term health conditions, and to make the most of the training and support on offer from the professional development body for sport and physical activity and from the NHS. Although the research that my hon. Friend referred to indicates a lack of clear, explicit policies on chronic conditions, such as diabetes, in many NGBs, the legal requirement not to discriminate and to make reasonable adjustments remains in force.

The research clearly shows that some areas of inclusion have more developed policies than others, as is the case with diabetes. That disparity suggests the need for a more co-ordinated and robust approach to supporting individuals with chronic health conditions in sport. We will therefore continue to look for further answers, including through Sport England conducting research with Diabetes UK on the barriers to and opportunities for physical activity. I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch and the organisations that he mentioned.

Ultimately, this is about every part of the system—from the NHS to national governing bodies, and from leaders to local partners—playing their part in making sport and physical activity easier to access and manage alongside diabetes.