![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/fia-erin-bourke-2025-united-against-online-abuse.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe FIA is leading the tackling of online abuse towards personnel in the sporting ecosystem, including F1, through a worldwide coalition.<\/p>\n
Launched in 2023, the FIA\u2019s United Against Online Abuse initiative is starting to realise tangible results off the back of two years of research and painstaking awareness campaigns as it closes in on its first prosecution.<\/p>\n
Online abuse is a huge challenge for modern-day racing drivers and sportspeople<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to a young female driver in a different championship about a month ago,\u201d recounts the FIA\u2019s Erin Bourke during a conversation with PlanetF1.com in the governing body\u2019s hospitality unit in the F1 paddock.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is in the space of trying to get brand sponsorships and get economic clarity in the sports space as a female athlete.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had several deep fakes made of her that were very sexual, to say the least.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they were publicised online, obviously her sponsors didn\u2019t know whether they were real or not. How does it represent the sponsor brand?<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s a network of knock-on effects, and that\u2019s someone who is on the track, she\u2019s there, and then she comes off the track, and that\u2019s what she\u2019s opening her phone to.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are probably many challenges [for a driver], but I do think this is one of the most pressing ones, and it\u2019s one that is proliferating, and the type of abuse is changing rapidly. It\u2019s definitely up there for them in terms of their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bourke, of the FIA\u2019s United Against Online Abuse [UAOA] initiative, has seen a lot since taking on the challenge of being its project leader. Formerly working in the investment banking sector, Bourke opted to change her career path during the COVID-19 pandemic, returning to education to study political science and international relations.<\/p>\n
Fascinated by the challenges represented by the psychological effects of how people interact on social media,\u00a0how\u00a0echo chambers can be easily created in such spaces, and how much environmental and political triggers can amplify certain behaviours, Bourke was brought in by President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to lead the UAOA campaign.<\/p>\n
Cool, calm, and collected throughout our 40-minute chat, Bourke\u2019s anger in\u00a0telling\u00a0some of the horror stories she\u2019s encountered\u00a0over the past two years of her work is palpable.<\/p>\n
She explains that incidents like these, while extreme, are far from isolated in their nature.<\/p>\n
On paper, F1 drivers have it all. A dream job, racing in motorsport\u2019s most glamorous and wealthy championship for the world\u2019s most prestigious manufacturers, brings with it all the trappings of fame and fortune that is the cherry on top for an adrenaline-filled life of excitement in the relentless pursuit of perfection.<\/p>\n
But this fame and fortune does have a dark side to the coin as a consequence. With F1 drivers and many team bosses and top-level personnel now household names and celebrities in their own right, it\u2019s led to many \u2018fans\u2019 taking to voicing opinions. Passionately. Vociferously. Angrily.<\/p>\n
This passion and anger can \u2014 and with increasingly alarming frequency, does \u2014 go beyond what can be seen as respectful discourse on a topic, and there are few fans in the online space who can now honestly say they haven\u2019t witnessed arguments of frightening animosity and venom between team and driver fanbases.<\/p>\n
The most obvious example of recent years is the years-long tension between Red Bull and Mercedes after their season-long fights for the F1 2021 titles. Driver vs. driver, team boss vs. team boss, it led to a division amongst most fans as sides were chosen, with the tribalism of the respective fanbases blinding them to the fact that, when everything is boiled down, most teams and drivers will maximise and obfuscate every situation to their favour.<\/p>\n
Aside from the usual toxicity that competitors in such scenarios will encounter on a day-to-day basis across their social media, a cacophony of negativity, which most have learned to blank out at this point, there are flare-ups of more intense poison.<\/p>\n
For example, look at how Yuki Tsunoda had to contend with a wave of xenophobic comments across his social media following a perceived slight against Franco Colapinto earlier this season. Or how F2 driver Alex Dunne was subjected to a torrent of abuse from \u2018fans\u2019 following the Monaco feature race in which he and Victor Martins collided.<\/p>\n
Fame and fortune are the positives of making it to the top level, but, seemingly for everyone in motorsport \u2013 including in junior categories and grassroots categories such as karting \u2013 the pervasive nature of online abuse has meant that it\u2019s become a mental obstacle, seemingly one to just accept and put up with as a hazard of the occupation.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not how the FIA is viewing the topic of online abuse, which Bourke reckons is the biggest off-track challenge drivers in F1 and the feeder series categories face. To that end, its United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) campaign is one that has been growing in momentum over the past two years.<\/p>\n
Under President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the initiative was launched on the back of an escalated torrent of abuse levelled at FIA race steward Silvia Bellot after a penalty was given to Fernando Alonso after the 2022 United States Grand Prix. Realising the pervasiveness of the issue sport-wide, research into the topic, and identifying ways to help address it, has been the remit of UAOA ever since.<\/p>\n
Underpinned by funding from the FIA Foundation, UAOA has published two barometer reports on the extent of online abuse over the past 18 months, as well as a barometer report on the online abuse faced by sports journalists in their coverage.<\/p>\n
What have been the findings of UAOA in its barometer reports?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to point out that, while the FIA is very much the spearhead of UAOA, it is a coalition in which other sporting authorities \u2013 such as MotoGP\u2019s FIM, the International eSports Federations, the International Federation of American Football, and the Olympics-associated ARISF \u2013 have come together with various governments and partners around the world to lend support to the initiative.<\/p>\n
Collaborations have also been held with fellow international federations such as the IOC, FIFA, World Rugby, and World Tennis.<\/p>\n
To that end, UAOA will host a second global conference this year, meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 9th, to highlight the importance of protecting athletes and personnel from digital harm \u2013 a conference at which further expansion of the coalition is expected to be confirmed.<\/p>\n
The headline figures from the 2025 Barometer Report have revealed that:<\/p>\n
50 percent of\u00a0all abuse directed at athletes and competitors is misogynistic or racist, a significant increase from 2024.
\n75 percent of federations report continued threats against competitors and their families.
\n50 percent of federations say volunteers and officials now face routine online abuse.
\n90 percent of federations agree that abuse could force athletes to leave their sport.<\/p>\n
In the Sports Journalist Barometer report, the research revealed that:<\/p>\n
95 percent of respondents reported that online abuse targeting sports journalists is either \u201cvery\u201d or \u201cfairly widespread.\u201d
\n75 percent reported an increase in the severity of online abuse in the past year, over 40 percent noting a \u201csignificant\u201d rise.
\n85 percent of respondents said that online abuse may influence their willingness to pursue certain stories, threatening press freedom.
\nMisogyny emerged as the most prevalent form of abuse, followed by sectarianism, racism, and personal attacks on physical appearance.<\/p>\n
Assessing the \u2018credible risks\u2019 of online abuse and pursuing prosecutions<\/p>\n
For the sake of clarity, while the impact of UAOA\u2019s work goes far beyond the sphere of F1, I ask Bourke to give me examples of what her work has uncovered in relation to recent examples of online abuse, specifically in the areas pertaining to motorsport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been some comments in the public eye like \u2018I\u2019ll chase you with a knife\u2019, \u2018I\u2019ll doxx you\u2019, which basically means I\u2019ll share with everyone where you live,\u201d Bourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scary thing is, for a lot of those drivers, we might not see it because it\u2019s in DMs, and it\u2019s getting to them where it\u2019s really one-to-one. It\u2019s really personal at that point.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been things around gambling. It\u2019s a big factor across the world. When people hedge bets and they lose the money, they want revenge for that. They want to make their voices heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
An obvious example of the danger posed to athletes due to those affected by outcomes due to their own gambling habits is that of Colombian soccer player Andr\u00e9s Escobar.<\/p>\n
An own goal resulted in Colombia being eliminated from the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and Escobar was tracked down and shot dead by Humberto Castro Munoz 10 days later.<\/p>\n
Castro Munoz was imprisoned upon being found guilty for Escobar\u2019s killing, with the own goal having cost the Henao cartel \u2013 for whom Munoz worked \u2013 millions of dollars in placed bets.<\/p>\n
While this example obviously predates online social media abuse, Bourke said individual threats must be identified and assessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may start online, but it doesn\u2019t end online,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is proximity, and there can be credible risks in person. Sometimes it\u2019s easy to say, \u2018Well, it\u2019s online, delete the comments or mute the comments\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cRightly so, that is a defensive action you should take, but we need to assess the threat outside of that, and there are great tools in terms of AI and tech that are able to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few stories from our coalition partners in the tech space who have identified that, when that threat comes in, say to a driver, they\u2019re able to say, \u2018Right, this is where it is. Is it credible or not?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re going to escalate it. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to share with the drivers in the industry, being proactive is far better than being reactive, and it starts with having a real understanding of what you know the individuals in your network are facing, like those comments such as \u2018I\u2019ll chase you down, doxx your family and come after your family because you cost me 87 grand\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
But identifying threats is all well and good; what can be done to affect tangible results in stamping out the practices of those who feel emboldened to spill their toxicity across social media?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s one thing that I would like people to know, is that people aren\u2019t always anonymous,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, with metadata on tweets, you are able, with the right resources and all open source data, to identify who that person is. We\u2019ve been doing this internally at the FIA.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a series of tweets or posts that were on the criminal threshold, we put them through our partners in the legal and integrity space, and said, \u2018Look, this is what we\u2019re dealing with\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey go away and compile a case study, and we\u2019ve been able to identify names, countries that they live in, and what jobs they do. They\u2019re not completely anonymous, and raising that awareness will help, say, drivers come forward with the initial cases that we can do that part of the work for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo legal prosecutions are one of the mainstays in any response, and there have been convictions for hate speech and abuse from 12 weeks to 20 months to four years.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there\u2019s precedent there that things can be done, but it needs to be a partnership between all the different actors getting that right through the pipeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s also AI, which is a hot topic at the moment, and there are lots of different ways to explain AI, but essentially, what they\u2019re able to do is set thresholds of what hate speech is across their own individual platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, a driver might say xenophobia, racism, ageism, all these are innate characteristics of hate speech. \u2018I\u2019m not tolerating them on my platform\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AI comes in, it\u2019s real-time, hidden from the public eye, and then they\u2019re able to take the action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout getting too inside the psychology space, when abuse remains on the platform, it doesn\u2019t just impact the person receiving \u2013 it impacts people who relate to those characteristics as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can be the fans, it can be the general public. So that approach at the top level helps a massive network that you could map out, but it\u2019s incredibly wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing would be safeguarding. We know that the mental health impacts physical performance, even the economic impacts of online abuse, and so really it\u2019s having in your support network of \u2018How can I respond to this? What is my defense mechanism if I\u2019m having it? Am I coming offline? Am I putting out a statement? Am I taking some time to work with my performance coach on a mental health exercise or something similar?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, for the purposes of this conversation, we\u2019re referring to the drivers, but it\u2019s also one that can be applied to anyone facing that abuse. Once you\u2019ve got your base response, then it\u2019s building things that are maybe more tailored to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
It could be, then, that, as drivers become part of the FIA ecosystem in paying for their racing licences, all the way up to F1\u2019s Superlicence, part of that membership sees competitors given the ability to opt-in to this knowledge base, whether that be merely getting access to information, or getting support by way of legal enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the driver\u2019s side, it\u2019s them knowing what I can do in the space, and how I protect myself,\u201d Bourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as many as we can reach, as many of them as can be signed on to an AI platform, if that\u2019s what they want, is the best thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pursuing those who go too far in their online activities and securing legal prosecutions is something UAOA is actively pursuing, with its first prosecution being actively sought.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that that is a big stand saying actually, to the wider public,\u201d Bourke said, \u201cthis is what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s quite important over the next year or two to be achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for whether such cases will be publicised by UAOA when that time comes, Bourke said it will come down to individual circumstances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would depend on the case and the topic and whether the victim would want to share it,\u201d she said, \u201cbut, if it were possible, we would state, top-line, this is what\u2019s gone through.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FIA\u2019s online abuse initiative addresses \u2018performative\u2019 accusations<\/p>\n
In carrying out research for this piece, PlanetF1.com spoke to many of the F1 teams, on the basis of anonymity, about how they would assess the actions of the FIA\u2019s United Against Online Abuse.<\/p>\n
When it comes to keeping an eye on their own social media spaces, many of the teams either have in-house personnel to keep a lid on the worst of the bile, although some also outsource this real-time monitoring to ensure the worst of the vulgar and the nastiness is either quickly removed, or never gets published in the first place.<\/p>\n
This is obviously resource-intensive, both in terms of time and finances, but the FIA has plans to be able to offer greater tools to the teams, perhaps as soon as this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve spent two years really trying to landscape the scope of the problem and understand it, and then to have the right tools in place,\u201d Bourke explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the team side of things, from a more organisational side, we\u2019re building a response model for organisations that has gone through an academic process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be to support all the organisations in the coalition and in motorsport, to say, \u2018Here\u2019s what you can do and here\u2019s the testing\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s gone through multiple phases of qualitative surveys with experts in the field, which we\u2019ve commissioned to then say, \u2018Here\u2019s how we\u2019re going to address this as an organisation\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach organisation can then opt in at different levels that suit them, their culture, and their environment. That tool will be available later this year. So we\u2019re taking it from both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some of the teams expressed support for what the FIA is doing, there were some suggestions that the UAOA initiative is little beyond performative, a political exercise to be seen to be doing something tangible rather than creating anything of any real value.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it really depends on whether abuse has been felt in the team space, away from the drivers,\u201d Bourke said, when asked for her thoughts on this viewpoint.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had cases in rallying, where it has been, and we\u2019ve had people on the more corporate side come forward as organisers, saying they\u2019ve felt this, and we\u2019ve had this.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it really varies. I think if you haven\u2019t experienced just how deep this can go before, it can be challenging to understand. That goes for the topic just generally in the world, whether you faced it or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we do have support coming for the teams, and that\u2019ll be later on this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exact nature of these supportive systems remains under a non-disclosure agreement, Bourke politely pointed out, as she couldn\u2019t reveal further details as to what they may entail.<\/p>\n
FIA: If you engage in online abuse, our attention is on it<\/p>\n
One prevailing theory that is often offered up when the topic of social media toxicity is brought up on various platforms is that a rapid change of fandom demographics has contributed to this.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not that long ago that F1, while immensely popular, was more of a niche sport, particularly for younger audiences. But the success of Netflix\u2019s\u00a0Drive to Survive accelerated a rise in the Gen Z demographic, as Liberty Media, as the commercial rights holder, has contributed to a huge rise in the sport\u2019s popularity worldwide.<\/p>\n
While unquestionably successful in attracting a whole new audience to the excitement of Formula 1, this coincided with a perceived rise in tribalism and the picking of \u2018sides\u2019 in battles, rather than more neutral viewers and fans merely watching out of enjoyment for the sport and technical challenge as a whole.<\/p>\n
But is there any data to back up that Drive to Survive has played a role in the increase in social media abuse?<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven what we know across the coalition and other sports that haven\u2019t had high-profile shows made about them, I think it was coming anyway, because we see even smaller sports and federations saying the same things,\u201d Bourke explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s a symptom of the age we\u2019re living in, and in the way that we\u2019re so connected on our devices. So it\u2019s a hard thing to say because, obviously, there could be a correlation, but not causation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I know across sport, I think it might have been coming anyway, but obviously we\u2019ve been proliferated more into the eye, and maybe that\u2019s why we see slightly more.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that end, are any clues into what might have changed over the past 10 years offered by the study of the data related to audience demographics? Is there a more \u2018typical\u2019 viewer who is engaging in toxic behaviour?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a mixed bag. It really is,\u201d Bourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we see it more slightly in areas maybe where there\u2019s more tension at the moment, because we see that translate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, in the work that we\u2019ve done to identify in our legal space, it\u2019s been anything from young females right the way up to older males.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are younger males, there are older females, there are people of all different professions, even journalists who have been identified as sending private DMs. So it\u2019s a really mixed bag in that space, and so are the triggers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can cause it? We know, in motorsport, that it can be a racing incident. It could be tribalism between teams and fans, and it\u2019s difficult because you\u2019re dealing with such a diverse space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside of the competitive arena and referring to the Sports Journalist Barometer report, Bourke said that it\u2019s even evident that individual journalists are finding themselves treated differently by different readers when it comes to responses and reactions to news reporting and opinion pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt highlighted that the targeted audiences were more minority journalists and females,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of male counterparts in the journalism space are saying, \u2018I\u2019m covering the same story as my female journalist counterpart, but her comments below the line are far different from mine, even though it\u2019s the same content\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo again, different stakeholders, different experiences in those spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
After almost three years, UAOA will continue its work for the foreseeable future, having secured additional funding from the FIA Foundation that will keep it going until at least July 2028. Research and people cost money, but the FIA is convinced this is money well spent, and there are hopes that it will, eventually, attract commercial funding to help ease this demand.<\/p>\n
With the next few years defined, is the message from FIA to those who engage in abusive online behaviour that, \u2018We\u2019re coming for you\u2019?<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it operates in the digital space,\u00a0we see platforms and laws changing almost daily. It is an iterative process. It\u2019s evolutionary in that sense,\u201d Bourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also produced educational modules, which we\u2019ve run with groups to help raise that awareness because, sometimes, it\u2019s difficult to categorise what you\u2019re actually seeing online.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message to the general public is that we\u2019re here to support. But, also, if you\u2019re engaging in this type of behaviour, our attention is on it, and we\u2019re developing towards this response, and we are responding to it in multiple ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engaging with the various social media platforms<\/p>\n
It\u2019s logical that some of the success UAOA will achieve will come down to successful partnerships with the various social media platforms that play host to many of these unsavoury interactions.<\/p>\n
Of course, for social media platforms, interactions of any description are valuable engagement, so how difficult has it been to get them on board with the idea that reducing toxicity and, therefore, likely reducing interactions overall, is beneficial for society as a whole?<\/p>\n
The reality, unfortunately, is that it has been difficult to get many of the big players to commit to the FIA\u2019s cause, but discussions are held regularly with the leading platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe speak to them quite a bit,\u201d Bourke said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith TikTok, we\u2019ve been working a lot with their anti-hate department and their safeguarding department, but also from the brand reputation side, because both have a vested interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken to Meta before, and each of them is developing tools in the prototype phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s basically what we\u2019re trying to share. If they need people to test those tools, we\u2019re willing to help provide them and create those links between the social media platforms and the industry side of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say X\u2019s business model is very different from other platforms, and it has a different set of community guidelines, and that\u2019s where they\u2019re standing at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where success is being felt is in the engagement of various governments around the world, with Georgia becoming the 10th nation to have its government sign up to UAOA earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Different cultural norms mean that what might be viewed as abusive in one country may be viewed as completely innocuous in another, and Bourke admitted this does represent a big challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery country has its different ways of operating and different understandings, and that\u2019s where sport is so integral,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the one thing that they do both agree on is the stakeholders that are in sport coming to their countries and bringing the events there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen with the governments that have come on board. They\u2019ve willingly said, \u2018We\u2019re here for this\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that\u2019s impacting this, we\u2019re going to come to the table and we\u2019re going to commit and bring our thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we convened around 80 senior-level ministers, presidents, CEOs, last year in Paris to do just that, and we had them for a day talking about this topic, understanding each other\u2019s perspectives, where they\u2019re coming from, what can be done.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, there are many countries and there are many more to onboard, but so far, we\u2019ve seen really engaging action from them, and I couldn\u2019t be happier with the support they\u2019ve shown.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The FIA\u2019s Erin Bourke, project leader of the United Against Online Abuse initiative.<\/p>\n
Outlining the targets for success for the FIA\u2019s UAOA<\/p>\n
Given that online abuse is a topic and a phenomenon that is unlikely to disappear any time soon, what represents success for Bourke and her efforts with the UAOA?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe easiest way to define it would be making sure that organisations and federations have that response, and they know the guidelines, that defense mechanism, that they know how to respond, and in that way, the percentage of organisations that are adopting principles in the online space, is it part of their regulations?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it part of their briefings? Is it part of their educational streams? We\u2019ve seen an uptake in federations creating a response framework. So that\u2019s one measure of success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coalition has grown massively, and when we started, we had basically zero members. The FIA was an early funder, so we had that internal support.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we\u2019re at 70 members, 10 governments across Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s great to see that side, and the governments are really important because they\u2019re able to enact the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of the social impact, the most rewarding side has been getting buy-in through, for us, most of the drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while UAOA has a grander target in mind when it comes to tackling the pervasiveness of online abuse, Bourke leaves me with another enraging story that sums up why it\u2019s essential that a hard-line stance must be taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just done an F2 and F3 briefing, having them all together and just having the room captivated, having them come up and share their stories,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, this shook me because we have been dealing so much at this high level, at the leadership point, which is incredibly important for the culture and dissemination, but to have a racing driver come up and say, \u2018I\u2019ve suffered from this already\u2019, that was absolutely shocking for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been on this mission, and I feel like the next phase is getting that support directly to the drivers as absolutely integral. Having that buy-in is exactly what we need to just say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re here\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes that impact is not always the big figures, the big outreach, or the numbers that we\u2019ve reached \u2013 it might be having that racing driver say, \u2018Hey, thanks for being there because I didn\u2019t know what to do\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, that\u2019s like the real reason why we do what we do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a story from a young girl who approached me after [such a briefing], and I was really shocked by what she said next, because she said, \u2018I love getting on the track. It\u2019s my safe space, but I\u2019ve been suffering from quite horrendous abuse and death threats for doing what I love\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was 10 years old. She was 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further Reading: Key findings in the 2025 Online Abuse Barometer Report (FIA University, 2025)<\/p>\n
Half of all abuse identified was classified as either misogynistic or racist.
\n50% of federations agreed that volunteers and officials are routinely subjected to online abuse, assessing the impact of abuse beyond athletes and competitors.
\nOver 90% of federations agreed that unchecked online abuse could result in athletes withdrawing from participation, and concerns persist that abuse targeting volunteers and officials could also lead to their withdrawal.
\nJust under 80% of respondents disagreed that athletes could safely use social media without the risk of abuse.
\nOver 80% acknowledged that abuse in languages other than English is underreported, suggesting a global gap in assessment.
\nThe number of governing bodies actively developing anti-abuse plans rose by 10.2% in 2025.
\n66.7% strongly agree with holding social media platforms accountable for removing harmful content, with over 94% viewing their support as critical to success.<\/p>\n
Further Reading: Key findings in the 2024 Sports Journalist Barometer Report (FIA University, 2024)<\/p>\n
Some 36.6% of respondents stated that the volume of online abuse they had either experienced or witnessed against fellow sports journalists had \u2018significantly increased\u2019 in the last 12 months, with a further 34.1% indicating they had observed a \u2018slight increase\u2019 over the same period.
\nMore than three in every four journalists surveyed stated that the toxicity of the online abuse they had received had increased in the last 12 months.
\nOver three in every four respondents stated that \u2018X\u2019 (formerly Twitter) was the platform where they had either experienced or observed the most online abuse posted against journalists in the last 12 months.
\nFemale broadcasters are disproportionately the subject of online abuse (over three in every four journalists surveyed confirming this to be the case) with female journalists, i.e. those not working in broadcasting, ranked second in terms of the category of journalist\/ broadcaster who was most likely to experience online abuse.
\nAsked what form online abuse against journalists\/ broadcasters typically took, 39% of respondents stated this was misogyny, followed by sectarianism (14.6%) and racism (9.8%).
\nMore than 3 in every 4 survey respondents expressed the view that female journalists\/broadcasters could not use social media without fear of threats that they or their dependents may be subject to harm.
\nMore than 8 in every 10 respondents stated they believed the tools available to social media users, including journalists\/ broadcasters, were insufficient to allow them to properly manage the stark reality of the situation they are faced with, i.e. seek to reduce levels of online abuse.<\/p>\n