FIA Report Highlights Prevalence of Online Abuse in Sports

Survey reveals 75% of sports federations report regular threats to athletes, with 90% suggesting it leads to early retirement.

The United Against Online Abuse Campaign surveyed 22 global sporting federations, including FIFA, World Athletics, the International Tennis Federation, and the FIA, the governing body for Formula One and other European motorsports series.
The report found that Europe and South America account for around 75% of all online abuse, notably in other major sports such as association football.
Three quarters of federations said sports stars regularly face threats of harm against themselves or their families, with 90% saying it likely has led them to quit the sport.
Of the federations that participated, 95% said social media platforms must either voluntarily or under obligation police harmful online abuse.
The report noted the data comes after a spate of high-profile online abuse cases, that targeted England midfielder Eni Aluko, world tennis No. 8 Daria Kasatkina, Chelsea forward Lauren James and recently retired World Cup rugby referee Wayne Barnes.