Prior to the Christmas holiday, World Athletics released the findings of their third annual online abuse study that was conducted during the World Championships in Budapest.
Here’s a few key findings from the study according to World Athletics:
- 90% of the abuse came from X (formerly Twitter)
- Racial abuse increased by 14%
- 46% of the athletes who received abuse came from the USA
- 16% of the abuse was sexist or sexist comments
“We are the No.1 Olympic sport and have a responsibility to protect our athletes, on and off the field of play,” World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said in the official press release. So as we enter an Olympic year, with the extra attention that brings, we are seeking urgent meetings with these platforms to achieve a greater level of enforcement and safeguarding for our athletes.
“Over the past six years World Athletics has invested significant time and money in educating its stakeholders on maximising their potential on digital platforms. However, we can only do so, knowing they are protected and not exposed to abuse. In line with our Safeguarding Policy, we will continue to closely monitor developments across these channels to help guide our future programmes and priorities.”
World Athletics reports that the number of athletes monitored in the study increased from 461 last year, to 1344 this year.
Visit World Athletics official site for the full findings of the report.
