The most common form of homophobia was verbal abuse, with 82 per cent saying they had heard or been the target of slurs such as "fag", "dyke" or "poofter" either as players or spectators.

The study involved almost 2500 people at all levels of sport and was split evenly between gay and straight participants, aged 15 upwards.

Backed by The Australian Sports Commission, Victoria University, and the Federation of Gay Games, the research was commissioned by organisers of the Bingham Cup – the Gay Rugby World Cup, to be held in Sydney next month.

It found homophobic jokes and casual comments such as "that's so gay" were commonplace. One in five gay and lesbian participants had been excluded from social groups because of their sexuality.

Gay men were much more likely to be targeted than women. The study also revealed that one in four straight men had been the target of homophobia.