JOC Finds 500 Incidents of Online Harassment During Tokyo World Championships

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) held a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 15. During the Tokyo World Athletics Championships last month the JOC utilized AI to monitor the sports world's ever-increasing issue of slander and libel on social media. They reported detecting approximately 500 problematic posts, of which they requested the deletion of around 230 that violated anti-defamation and other laws.

At the press conference JOC executive director Yuki Ota explained, "Most of the posts that were requested to be deleted contained insults, racist or otherwise prejudicial content, sexual slander, or sexual harassment. As fans you should praise athletes over the course of their careers, and you keep that in mind if you feel some disappointment about performances in this sport we love. There is a big difference between trash talking and giving criticism you think will be constructive. Please think in terms of being a team player before you post online."

The next year features major international competitions like November's Tokyo Deaflympics, the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, and September's Nagoya Asian Games. JOC president Seiko Hashimoto said, "Our athletes carry the hopes and dreams of the people. Although it is behind the scenes, we are working to create a system that provides the athletes with psychological support and a sense of security.

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