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In an era where athletes often share their journeys and connect with fans online, abuse on social media platforms remains a significant concern
A recent study from published on October 31 as World Mental Health Month comes to an end, has once again spotlighted this issue
The latest study was conducted during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and monitored the social media activity of 1,917 athletes with active accounts on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Sebastian Coe is one of seven candidates running for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency, aiming to succeed Thomas Bach in 2025, leveraging his experience as a double Olympic champion and World Athletics president.
This sample size was twelve times larger than that of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, covering a more comprehensive spectrum of the athletic community
World Athletics revealed that the Threat Matrix service, powered by AI flagged 34,040 of the total 355,873 posts and comments captured for possible abuse, which were then reviewed by human analysts
Of the flagged content, 809 posts were confirmed as abusive, with 48% of those posts containing racist or sexualized comments
Racism alone constituted 18% of the abusive content, while sexualized abuse accounted for 30%, with female athletes particularly subjected to a mixture of sexist and sexual comments.
Two athletes whom the governing body did not reveal bore the brunt of the abuse, collectively accounting for 82% of the offensive posts, which highlights the disproportionate targeting of some individuals.
The abuse was not limited to a single country as athletes from 20 nations faced hostility, with U.S. athletes enduring the most significant share.
Nearly half of all the abusive messages were directed at athletes, despite them representing only 7.8% of the athletes in the study.
Ferdinand Omanyala has explained why he has yet to set goals for next season and hinted at when he might resume training.
In response to the findings, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe emphasized the harmful impact of social media abuse on athletes’ mental well-being and performance.
“It is no secret that social media abuse towards athletes can have a devastating impact on their mental health as well as their performance,” Coe stated.
“We will continue our work in this space and use our research to help drive positive change, both with platforms and in developing resources for athletes around their mental health.”
He also highlighted the importance of social media for athletes’ interactions with fans and sponsorship obligations, adding that athletes should be able to share their lives and grow their sport without fear of abuse.
Gabby Thomas has shed light in the baton handover between her and Sydney McLaughin-Levrone at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 4x400m relays for team USA.
Of the 809 abusive posts, 128 were escalated to the relevant platforms for further action, and two particularly severe cases were referred to higher authorities.
