Top British athletes will now have access to advanced AI technology designed to shield them from abusive content on social media. UK Sport, the organisation that supports Olympic and Paralympic athletes, has signed a £300,000+ contract to provide thousands of competitors with a powerful filtering app throughout the current Games cycle, leading up to Los Angeles 2028.
UK Sport’s performance director Kate Baker called the rising level of online harassment “unacceptable,” saying that failing to act was not an option.
How the AI Protection Works
The new tool, Social Protect, uses artificial intelligence to scan and hide abusive comments across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Already used by several Australian sporting bodies, the system monitors posts in real time and checks them against a database of over two million abusive words and phrases.
- Any harmful comment is instantly hidden from the athlete’s posts.
- Athletes can add their own custom list of words or phrases they want filtered out.
- The company’s founder, Shane Brit, compares it to an antivirus program that quietly safeguards users from racism, hate, scams, and other toxic content.
However, the service has limitations. It does not cover X (formerly Twitter)—a major source of abuse, especially in football. It also only filters public comments, meaning abusive direct messages still appear, unless athletes use additional services that require sharing login details.
Impact of Online Abuse on Athletes
Online abuse has affected athletes for nearly two decades.
Olympic badminton star Kirsty Gilmour, who has received death threats and rape threats—often linked to gambling losses- says the new system gives her a sense of safety and control.
She shared that threats like “I know where you live” or attacks targeting her career can be deeply distressing. With the app, she can finally filter out even seemingly harmless terms that trigger her anxieties.
Gilmour believes reducing abuse for one athlete may help prevent wider harm across the sporting world.
The Goal of the Initiative
Athletes like Katie Boulter and Jess Carter have openly discussed how online negativity impacts their mental health and performance, pushing UK Sport to take long-term action.
The AI protection will extend not only to athletes but also to coaches, support staff, and family members, and will be active during major domestic sporting events.
Kate Baker says this initiative is part of UK Sport’s mission to help athletes stay mentally strong and fully supported both on and off the field.
