According to a recent report commissioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), social media abuse aimed at athletes has been on the rise in recent years, with nearly one-third of the posts targeted towards athletes containing negative content.1
Research has shown that this online abuse towards the athletes can have long-lasting effects on them, potentially leading to mental health issues, lower performance, and even withdrawal from the sport. A survey by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and United Against Online Abuse (UAOA), a coalition to stop hate speech in sports, shows that 90% of federations believe that athletes may quit due to online abuse.2
