World Athletics moves to protect 25 athletes from online abuse

Following the release of findings from a four-year report analysing online abuse in athletics, World Athletics has offered 25 athletes year-round AI protection on their social media platforms.

Valerie Adams, Chair of the World Athletics Athletes' Commission, advised that the athletes, each of when were targeted by cyber bullying during and after major recent events, would be provide with tools to protect themselves online to help them feel more comfortable competing.

While World Athletics did not detail how the AI protection would operate, it is often used to identify potential security threats and filter out inappropriate content on social media.

Among findings in the World Athletics commissioned four-year study into online abuse in the sport - using Signify Group's Threat Matrix service - during the Paris Olympics, two athletes received 82% of all the abuse recorded by World Athletics.

The study monitored online activity during the Olympics in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Of the more than 350,000 posts captured for analysis during the Paris 2024 Olympics on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, 809 were verified as abusive, 18% of them racist, 13% sexual in nature, and 17% sexist. Two athletes received 82% of all the abuse.

Explaining the international federation’s actions, Adams (pictured) stated “competing at a global championship is one of the greatest pinnacles of most athletes’ careers, but it does create added pressures.

"Social media is a great way to connect with fans and share event experiences, and for many athletes is also an important tool to build their brand and fulfil sponsor requirements, but when anonymous trolls online send abusive messages or harass athletes in their own comment sections, it can sour their experience and many athletes choose to switch off their accounts during those major milestone moments.

“World Athletics’ work in this space is vitally important as many athletes don’t know how to react when they see or receive abusive comments online, or what measures they can put in place to protect themselves before they enter the spotlight.

“The more we continue to educate athletes on safeguarding measures, the more athletes will feel comfortable flying the flag for their countries and their sport - on the field of play, and online.”

Three out of the top five abused athletes from the 2023 world championships in Budapest also featured in the top five most targeted athletes at the Paris Olympics.

Approximately 240,000 posts were captured for analysis from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, with 132 of them verified as abusive, with 63% of them aimed at two female athletes.

Social media analysis of the 2023 world championships in the Hungarian capital of Budapest showed 35% of the abuse was racist, a 12-times increase from the world championships a year earlier in US city of Eugene, Oregon.

Images credits: Shutterstock (top) and Athletics New Zealand (below).