Athletes talk discrimination in sport at Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Athletes and activists came together for a panel discussion at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Sunday to talk about how sport can be a springboard to tackling human rights issues.

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Boxer Pardeep Singh Nagra spoke about how he fought for his right to religious expression.

In 1999, Nagra was a light flyweight boxing champion. He also had a beard — a mandatory article of his Sikh faith.

He was barred from competing in the Canadian Championships because he refused to shave his beard. While the courts ruled in his favor and called on the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association to end what they deemed religious discrimination, Nagra's career ultimately came to an end.

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Nagra said by sharing his experience in an open forum, he hopes to help prevent possible cases of discrimination in sport in the future.

"I've always seen it as a responsibility, to continue to ... always make sure that we can put rights and equality on the forefront no matter what the venue is," said Nagra. "If we can continue to reduce [these] incidents ... going forward, then it's our responsibility."

Johann Rukeli Trollmann, who was a boxing star in Germany in the 1930s, was known for protesting against the Nazi vision of a racially pure Aryan fighter.

Trollmann's great niece, Diana Ramos-Farina, spoke about her great uncle's struggles inside and outside of the ring.

In one instance, Trollmann arrived to his championship match with his hair dyed blonde and his body powdered white.

"[It's] very important to prevent these things ... from happening again, that you remember these things and make people aware of what happened in the past ... and to keep fighting for the rights for everybody," said Ramos-Farina.

The museum panel discussion wrapped up at 3:30 p.m Sunday.