Youth players on a Nelson soccer team were allegedly threatened with racial slurs during a May tournament in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Nelson Soccer Association (NSA) says a person in a truck shouted racist threats at a team with players of colour during a game May 12. Multiple Nelson teams were visiting Coeur d'Alene at the time for an annual tournament.
A detective with Coeur d'Alene Police Department told the Nelson Star that it had opened an investigation and has since sent the case to a local prosecutor for review, but did not offer any further details.
It's the second time this year athletes have faced racial abuse in Coeur d'Alene. In March, a Utah women's NCAA basketball team said its players were twice threatened by people in a vehicle who shouted racial epithets.
NSA board chair Goran Denkovski said NSA was not previously aware of the March incident involving the basketball team. The organization hasn't made a decision on its future participation in Idaho tournaments, but Denkovski said NSA will begin assessing regional safety prior to making tournament commitments.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½œWe do all recognize that Idaho specifically, that state is a state of concern that we should acknowledge.ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½
Denkovski said the organization adheres to BC Soccer's diversity policy, but that it has no internal recourse for dealing with abusive spectators.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½œThis is something everybody takes serious and has programs in place to support and deal with. But when it comes to non-participants, it's something that we wish we could manage prior to and protect all the kids from. But it would be tough to manage that.ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½