Timeline

FIA President meets with French Minister for Sports to collaborate in the fight against online abuse

Both parties discussed the importance of confronting the issue of online abuse and the need for action to increase prevention from cyber-harassment in sport.

During the meeting, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra gave her support to the FIA’s “United Against Online Abuse” charter. She added that the FIA’s initiative is compatible with the actions of the French government to fight against the online harassment of athletes and officials.

FIA JOINS FORCES WITH FIM IN COALITION AGAINST ONLINE ABUSE

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) today announces the signing of a Charter for collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) as part of the global coalition to counter online abuse in sport.

The signing between FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his counterpart at FIM, Jorge Viegas, took place at the Francorchamps circuit ahead of the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Under this pledge, the FIA and FIM will contribute to the fight against online hate speech in sport which is a pressing challenge for society by adopting several targets.

FIA announces global research scholarships

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem announces the launch of six fully-funded scholarships as the United Against Online Abuse campaign continues to gather momentum.

The scholarships will invite researchers worldwide to collaborate remotely against the global scourge of online hate speech in sport whilst earning a Master’s by Research degree title. The programs fall under the auspices of the FIA University and are backed by the FIA Foundation.

The announcement comes on the United Nations Day for Countering Hate speech and has been formally presented to delegates at the FIA Conference in Cordoba June 2023.

FIA releases WhitePaper

A significant milestone in the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s mission to drive out online abuse was reached today with the launch of a White Paper on the issue that has become a blight on global sport.

The document, entitled, “A Strategic Response To Online Hate Speech In Sport” has been informed by industry experts, government institutions and the FIA’s academic partners; with the mission of outlining the sustained and collaborative approach the FIA will adopt in confronting online toxicity.

The White Paper has been presented to the FIA’s 243 Member Clubs and shared at the World Motor Sport Council Strategy Meeting in Bahrain.

FIA announces collaboration with Arwen.AI

As part of a concerted effort to address the issue of online abuse throughout the motor sport community, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is partnering with Artificial Intelligence experts Arwen.ai.

Through the collaboration, Arwen.ai is implementing its AI-enabled content moderation platform to help the FIA detect and reduce growing levels of online hate speech on its social channels. A successful trial has already been completed.

FIA President’s Op-Ed on Online Hate Speech

Online abuse has become a blight on our sport. The level of sustained toxicity has reached crisis point. It is time for all of us to unite – and to act.

Recently one of the FIA female stewards, Silvia Bellot, was the subject of death threats. It is utterly deplorable that a volunteer such as Silvia or any of our marshals and officials, who volunteer their time to allow us to go racing, is the subject of such hatred.

Indeed a number of FIA staff have also been targeted with harassment and hate posts over the past few years.