Abusive posts targeting athletes continue at Milano Cortina despite monitoring | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News
The Japanese Olympic Committee says it has requested the removal of more than 900 abusive social media posts targeting athletes, but only around 200 have actually been taken down.
Online abuse against athletes has posed a serious challenge in the world of sports.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee introduced an artificial intelligence-based monitoring system that can automatically delete messages flagged as potentially abusive.
The system is also in operation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, currently underway.
The JOC has set up an office in the city of Milan for its response team for the first time at these Games.
Six personnel, including a lawyer, are working with members in Tokyo to conduct round-the-clock monitoring using both AI and human review.
However, the JOC says inappropriate posts have continued since just before the Games started.
The committee says it made more than 900 removal requests between January 19, the day after Team Japan held an inauguration ceremony, and February 11. But it adds that only about 200 cases have been confirmed as deleted.
Japanese freestyle skier Kondo Kokone received a harsh message after she withdrew due to injuries suffered during official practice. The post urged her to decline next time, even if selected. Kondo responded on social media, questioning whether such a remark should be directed at her. She said she earned her place and that it is up to her to decide whether to withdraw or not.
JOC Secretary General Ota Yuki, an Olympic silver medalist in fencing, said the committee is working to prevent heartless comments that make athletes feel like their lives are being invalidated, discourage them from competing, or cause them to lose their love for their sport and the Olympics.
He said athletes stake their lives on the Olympics and urged the public to praise their efforts even if they fail to achieve the desired results.
