World Athletics’ social media analysis leads to AI protection for 25 athletes

LONDON – World Athletics has offered 25 athletes year-round AI protection on their social media platforms after they were targeted by cyber bullies during major recent events, it said on Dec 18.

The governing body unveiled the findings of a four-year report analysing online abuse in the sport using Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service. The study monitored online activity during the Olympics in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships.

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

Among the study’s findings, two serious cases were identified and reported to police authorities.

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 per cent of them racist, 13 per cent sexual in nature, and 17 per cent sexist.

Two athletes received 82 per cent of all abuse.

Jamaican sprinter Junelle Bromfield spoke out in August about the cyber bullying – which included death threats – she had suffered during the Paris Games over her relationship with Olympic 100 metres champion Noah Lyles. They were engaged in October.

“Athlete welfare is at the very top of our priority list, and we will continue to put measures in place to ensure that athletes can confidently and safely engage with social media platforms,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.

Three out of the top five most-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-19 pandemic, with 132 of them verified as abusive, and 63 per cent of them aimed at two female athletes.

Social media analysis of the 2023 world championships showed 35 per cent of the abuse was racist, a 12-fold increase from the 2022 edition.

World Athletics said it was the first time an international federation had conducted such an in-depth analysis.

“Many athletes don’t know how to react (to) abusive comments online, or measures to protect themselves,” said Valerie Adams, chair of the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.

“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.”
REUTERS