Inclusivity in sports: How Vancouver-based South Asian artists are paving the way for cultural representation on the rink and field

South Asians and sport in B.C. are commonplace on and off the scoresheet, from the rise of players like Jujhar Khaira, Arshdeep Bains, and Chanreet Bassi to the long history of sports fandom within the South Asian community.

The sports world has become familiar with South Asian talent and it has extended beyond the field of play. 

Hockey Canada reported a growth of 3.7 per cent of players who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in the 2024-25 season, out of the over 603,000 players registered in sanctioned programs.

Whether it’s commentary on Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition, South Asian celebrations including Vaisakhi and Diwali nights, youth involvement through Apna Hockey, or cultural artwork in sports memorabilia, inclusion in sports has increased South Asian participation in the field.

Vancouver artists are leading the way, often commissioned for jerseys and logos for sports teams. Jag Nagra became the first artist to design such artwork for the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, followed by artists Sandeep Johal, Keerat Kaur, Anu Chouhan, and more. 

The Canucks held their first South Asian celebration night in the 2017-18 NHL season, followed by the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers during the 2023-24 season. Since then, the celebrations have extended beyond hockey to the Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver Bandits, and more teams.

“Sports are a powerful platform to celebrate culture and community,” Vancouver Bandits team president Dylan Kular wrote in a statement to The Runner. 

The Bandits South Asian heritage jersey was designed by Vancouver-based visual artist Sandeep Johal in 2024. She has designed three South Asian-inspired jerseys for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Vancouver Bandits.

“Collaborating with artists like Sandeep Johal allows us to honour the rich diversity of our fans and region through meaningful artwork that tells a story far beyond the game of basketball,” Kular wrote. “Integrating cultural artwork into our branding and merchandising isn’t just about design — it’s about representation, connection, and pride. We’re committed to continuing being thoughtful and genuine in these initiatives and creating space for artists from all backgrounds to share their voices through sport.”

Johal created the jersey for the Bandits around their logo, she told the Fraser Valley Current. She is a maximalist but the design couldn’t be very detailed, so she drew on phulkari embroidery, which is characterized by flower prints and geometric patterns usually woven on a cotton cloth originally from Punjab, where her family is from.

Anu Chouhan also drew on phulkari embroidery for her design of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Vaisakhi logo and exclusive scarves and T-shirts from earlier this year.

Vaisakhi is the beginning of the Sikh new year and celebrates the spring harvest in the Punjab region of India. 

Chouhan is a Punjabi Canadian author, illustrator, and animator who puts her love of cultural heritage into her art. She is often inspired by folktales, anime, nature, and global fashion. ​

Chouhan really liked soccer growing up, and being able to create the design was a moment of pride and a “dream collaboration” for her. 

“Being able to flash forward to now and say I designed something for a major-league soccer team — that’s really, really cool,” she says. 

The items, available at the Whitecaps FC Gastown store and in stadium, were designed for the team’s April 5 Vaisakhi match against the Colorado Rapids.

Chouhan says while she had a lot of freedom in creating the logo, she wanted to stay true to the original Whitecaps logo and incorporate their classic blue. 

Besides including phulkari designs to highlight the Punjabi community, she also incorporated Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s hawk, which symbolizes the start of spring and also connects to Vaisakhi. 

Chouhan says her logo and design for the soccer club have a heritage and vintage vibe, which was intentional.

“I wanted [the design] to feel nostalgic, but I also wanted it to look very contemporary and modern, so people would want to wear it now,” Chouhan says. “That was my challenge that I kind of self-imposed on myself.”  

But the process of creating her design wasn’t easy. Chouhan came up with many different designs before she landed on the one for the Whitecaps. She wanted a design that was cohesive.

“When it comes to a special logo design celebrating a specific theme, you don’t want to just slap a bunch of icons together.” 

She says sports teams being more inclusive of Vancouver’s diverse population has given the opportunity for many communities to showcase their cultures in meaningful ways and opened doors for many to be represented in sports. ​

Chouhan hopes such opportunities are open to people from all communities all year round — outside of just special cultural celebrations.

Jag Nagra, a Punjabi visual artist and community advocate, agrees and says that it’s important to celebrate the South Asian community and other communities throughout the year and not just on one day. 

“[It] becomes performative at that point,” she says. “What I care about is how these organizations, on a daily basis, are giving back to communities or representing communities. That’s where the important work happens. It’s outside of just that one specific day.” 

In 2021, Nagra reached a career milestone when the Vancouver Canucks asked her to design their special edition Diwali jersey. 

The team wore the jerseys designed by Nagra during warmup before their fifth annual Diwali night game against the Nashville Predators. 

Partial proceeds from the sale of Nagra’s jerseys went to the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective, which works to preserve the historic market in South Vancouver, CBC News reported. 

Nagra’s history with the Canucks, however, goes back further than 2021. Growing up in a multigenerational home, her entire family would watch games, she says, adding she was a huge Canucks fan before they ever reached out to her.

“To me, there was no doubt that I wanted to work on this project,” Nagra says. “I want to say it was a dream come true, but it wasn’t even a dream before — it just seemed so out of the realm of possibility in the past. So it was a no-brainer that I wanted to do it.”

When the ice hockey team reached out to her, they had just one direction — keeping the logo close to the original stick-in-the-rink design. ​

Nagra had a few requirements of her own: twinkling lights, diyas, which are palm-sized clay lanterns, fireworks, and making the logo colourful and bright. 

“I wanted to pull elements that were inspired by Diwali in the evening and nighttime,” she says. “I just wanted to make … something so even if you’re not South Asian, you might find it visually interesting and want to buy a jersey.”​

Making the design, she says, was trying to figure out a puzzle with different ideas, layouts, and element sizes to see what fits best and where.

While the Canucks have a significant South Asian base locally, Nagra says it was powerful to see players wearing jerseys with their names written in Hindi and Punjabi at the back. ​

“Kids who are looking up to these role models and to see them representing our culture is huge.” 

Nagra wasn’t very engaged and involved with the Punjabi community while growing up, but she says the older she grows, the prouder she feels to see her culture go mainstream. 

The special edition jersey caught the attention of Canadian actor and comedian Seth Rogan on X, which Nagra says was a surreal moment. ​​​​​​

“Art is a beautiful way to connect different communities, bridge those divides, and bring people together.”

Beyond artwork, Nagra says emphasis should be put on how sports teams have been investing in engaging and doing outreach with different communities.​​

Soccer fan Kirti Sahota says representation in sports has increased over the last few years, especially in sports like ice hockey and wrestling. ​

“I feel in the past we haven’t been recognized in sports at all,” she says. 

Today, there are South Asian names across different sports, Sahota says, highlighting Arshdeep Bains of the Vancouver Canucks. ​

While inclusion has gotten better, Sahota says there’s still not enough. ​

“There’s only one [South Asian athlete] in each sport [or] one on each team.”

Only five South Asian players have ever played a game in the NHL over the league’s 108-year-long history. 

With other leagues like the NBA and the UEFA, Sahota says there’s not many recognizable South Asian names that she’s heard about. 

Varleen Kaur, who works at EA Sports, a video game developer company, “lives” in football jerseys.

A devoted Formula 1 fan, Kaur says she hasn’t seen much inclusion in sports except South Asian heritage nights and performers during half-time.

Kaur says in Canada, where diversity is promoted, there needs to be more inclusiveness to help players embrace their culture and feel more included.

“It’s good [that] other people also get to know about different cultures.”