The International Olympic Committee’s newly released report outlined operations of its Cyber Abuse Protection Service during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and preparations for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, according to the committee. The service combined artificial intelligence with specialist analysts working around the clock to scan millions of online interactions aimed at athletes, coaches, teams and officials. This effort marked the largest initiative of its kind ever launched by a sports organisation and has been expanded to improve detection and response capabilities.
Analysts verified nearly 24,700 messages as abusive after artificial intelligence flagged approximately 242,000 suspicious items from a total of 4.3 million posts and comments directed at more than 26,000 social media profiles, the IOC report stated. Monitoring covered around 20,000 accounts in 45 languages for the Paris Games while more than 6,000 accounts in 56 languages were tracked for the Italian Winter Olympics. The abusive content originated from roughly 18,900 unique accounts, figures from the report show.
Once abuse was confirmed the IOC activated a coordinated protocol in which its cybersecurity unit contacted platforms to remove content, investigated sources and prepared documentation to support affected individuals, according to the report. The safeguarding team prioritised urgent cases and supplied psychosocial support where required. Such steps reflect the committee’s focus on extending protection beyond physical venues into digital environments.
A Loughborough University study commissioned by the IOC and published in 2024 found that online abuse targeting elite athletes has risen significantly in recent years. Earlier IOC monitoring from the Tokyo 2020 Games showed that 63 percent of detected abuse was directed at just two female athletes, with 29 percent classified as sexist and 26 percent as other forms of harassment. These patterns have driven development of the current monitoring systems applied to subsequent Olympic cycles.
The report titled Safe Sport Day: Nearly 25,000 abusive messages identified during Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 emphasised that social media has enabled both fan connections and harmful campaigns that affect psychological well-being. It noted the increasing complexity and prevalence of threats, insults and harassment in modern sport. One section of the document stated that protecting athletes no longer depends solely on measures implemented inside sports venues, but also on the ability to ensure safer digital spaces.
Insights from the Paris 2024 deployment allowed refinements to the service for Milano Cortina 2026 that broadened language coverage and analytical precision, the IOC report indicated. The committee continues to share practical recommendations so other sports bodies can strengthen their own safeguarding practices. Data from the exercise will inform ongoing strategies to address online risks across future events.
