UK Sport invests in pioneering AI app with ability to remove online abuse targeting athletes
UK Sport invests in AI app Social Protect to shield athletes from online abuse; tool deletes harmful comments in real time across platforms, safeguarding Team GB, Paralympics GB, and major UK events ahead of LA2028 and beyond
Thursday 4 December 2025 14:03, UK
Leading British athletes will be able to use a new AI app that proactively detects and then removes abusive comments in real time.
All funded sport in the UK will be able to offer protection to athletes from social media abuse as UK Sport, the body that distributes funding for elite-level sport, has invested a "significant six-figure sum" to help safeguard athletes with AI-powered app Social Protect.
The investment has been made following a competitive tender process and follows on, complements and adds to protections already in place for athletes selected for Team GB and Paralympics GB at Olympic and Paralympic Games at Paris 2024.
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Social Protect's technology works across platforms to remove harmful and abusive content before it can cause damage. It hopes to create a safe space for athletes who wish to use social media and take part in conversations without compromising their wellbeing in the run-up to the LA2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
The platform works with numerous social media platforms - Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, YouTube and Discord - deleting comments in under a second using a "dynamic, personally customisable" database of over two million harmful phrases in over 100 languages.
Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance and People at UK Sport, said: "The level of abuse our athletes are facing online is unacceptable - to do nothing about this is not an option. Our partnership with Social Protect shields athletes from abuse to an extent never before seen in British sport and we are fiercely proud to be pioneering in this space.
"Social Protect are world leaders in creating safe digital spaces and their cutting-edge technology ensures that our athletes are protected - not just at Games time, but all the time.
"This is a significant investment for UK Sport and sits right at the heart of our commitment to ensure athletes have the right support to be the best versions of themselves on and off the field of play."
In addition to helping individual athletes, major events that will be hosted in the UK will also be able to benefit with Social Protect able to aid official event channels.
Over the course of the next decade the UK is set to host a number of high profile sporting events, from Euro 2028 to the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2035.
Shane Britten, CEO of Social Protect, said: "Abuse is abuse, whether it happens on the field or in a comment section. We built Social Protect to give people control over their own digital boundaries and to stop harmful content before it ever reaches them.
"We are delighted to be partnering with UK Sport and protecting the nation's top athletes. UK Sport is truly leading the way. They studied the problem and came to us for a real solution: to protect their athletes.
"We're protecting their athletes around the clock, taking social media abuse off their plates and placing a protective bubble around them and their families so they can stay focused on what they do best - performing at the highest level."
'Scum of the earth' - F1 drivers condemn Antonelli abuse
Britain's Oliver Bearman has led criticism against online abuse after Kimi Antonelli was threatened on social media following the Qatar Grand Prix.
Mercedes flagged over 1100 "severe or suspect comments" across Antonelli's social media accounts, which included death threats, as some fans were unhappy title-chasing Lando Norris overtook the Mercedes driver in the closing stages of Sunday's race.
Max Verstappen's engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko initially said Antonelli had let Norris through, before apologising to Antonelli and Mercedes for their comments.
Red Bull posted a statement on Monday which said comments made were "clearly incorrect" and that they "sincerely regret" the abuse Antonelli received.
Haas driver Bearman, who is at the end of his rookie campaign like Antonelli, said: "I didn't face that level of criticism, but that comes as part of being in a team like Haas rather than Mercedes. There's also a benefit of starting your career in a team like Haas. You're a bit less in the limelight. You have the possibility to make mistakes and be less criticised for those.
"Generally it's always the case that people behind the screen are horrible and the scum of the earth, really. I don't think they should be doing that type of stuff to someone.
"I understand that people who've been in F1 for a very long time get used to it and people who are rookies, it may be their first experience having that type of criticism, but that criticism is an absolute joke. It shouldn't be tolerated."
