World Athletics: Tokyo Olympians faced ‘disturbing’ level of abuse on social media | CBC Sports

Twenty-three of the 161 athletes whose accounts were monitored were targets of the abuse, and 16 of those 23 were women.

“This research is disturbing in so many ways but what strikes me the most is that the abuse is targeted at individuals who are celebrating and sharing their performances and talent as a way to inspire and motivate people,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a news release.

The study found that 63 per cent of identified abuse was directed at two athletes – both black and female – while the two most common categories of abuse were of a sexist (29 per cent) and/or racist (26 per cent) nature. 

U.S. athletes were targeted in 89 per cent of the racist abuse, even though they represented only 23 per cent of the athletes studied.

“Increasing evidence indicates that this is driven by a huge rise in prejudice against race, gender and social status,” Max Siegel, the CEO of USA Track and Field, said in the release. “Simply put, this type of behaviour is disgusting and utterly unacceptable.”

The study follows the launch of the World Athletics Safeguarding Policy, which the federation described as the implementing of “a process of protecting vulnerable persons, children and adults, from harassment, abuse and exploitation (and) creating a safe and welcoming environment, where everyone is respected and valued.”

In the news release laying out the results of the social media study, World Athletics said the data provides it a basis “to work more closely with social media platforms to tackle this issue.”