US Ski and Snowboard has published a three-year plan to three-year action plan to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the organisation ©Getty Images

A three-year action plan to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within U.S. Ski & Snowboard has been announced and adopted.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan aims to foster an inclusive culture, equitable systems and a team that can benefit from a diverse range of backgrounds.

The plan is built around DEI pillars and subcommittees to cover areas such as leadership, governance, training, education, expanded access, representation, recognition, public-facing content and partnerships.

"Elite performance cannot reach its highest levels when pursued in an elitist or inequitable way," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and chief executive Tiger Shaw and chairman of the Board Kipp Nelson in a joint statement.

"In setting this DEI Action Plan, our purpose is to honour and hold ourselves accountable to enriching our sport by nurturing a more welcoming culture, establishing fair systems at all levels, and opening the door wider to make skiing and snowboarding more accessible to athletes, professional staff, and communities with a more diverse array of backgrounds and identities."

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to accelerating its DEI efforts "following the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery" last year, it is claimed.

The murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests and led US Ski and Snowboard to revamp its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy ©Getty Images
The murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests and led US Ski and Snowboard to revamp its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy ©Getty Images

Floyd's murder by policeman Derek Chauvin in Minnesota led to mass protests in the United States and across the world.

Arbery was killed by three white residents while running in the state of Georgia, and those responsible were alleged to have used racial slurs.

Taylor was shot and killed in her own home by plainclothes police in Kentucky.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard said the three-year plan is "not the beginning of, or the end of the organization’s DEI efforts, but is a tool to focus efforts on key priorities and provide accountability".

Its aims include racial inclusion, partnerships with diversity groups, training and education on DEI matters, and gender equity in ski and snowboard coaching.

Approximately 61 per cent of U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff are men, reflecting 60 per cent of members being men.

However, only eight per cent of coaches are women and women account for only 33 per cent of the Board of Directors.

People of colour amount for just one per cent of staff and two per cent of the Board of Trustees, and less than one per cent of US Ski and Snowboard members are people of colour.