World Athletics president asks Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to step up on cyberbullying
"We have to talk to Musk and Zuckerberg. They have the technology to address this problem," said Coe on protecting female athletes from online harassment
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
On International Women’s Day, March 8, World Athletics president Seb Coe was asked about the growing issue of cyberbullying in track and field, especially toward female athletes. In response, he urged tech leaders Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to take stronger action in protecting female athletes online.
The call for action comes after several British female athletes spoke out about the dark side of social media, describing how online trolls have subjected them to body shaming and abuse. Coe stressed the matter’s urgency and said social media platforms must do more to curb harassment.
When asked what his message would be to Musk, the owner of X, and Zuckerberg, the founder of Meta, Coe was clear: “Sort this out. This is just unacceptable. We’ve got to do a whole heap more to protect female athletes.”
Coe also pointed out the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in combatting cyberbullying. “We have to talk to Musk and Zuckerberg. They have the technology to address this problem,” he told the Daily Mail.
In October 2024, World Athletics published findings from a study conducted during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which analyzed social media abuse directed at athletes. The study found that racism and sexualized harassment made up for 48 per cent of the abusive messages, with sexualized abuse alone accounting for 30 per cent.
“I’ve seen the distress this has caused,” Coe said. “It’s pond life. I’ve spoken to many female athletes about it, and some of the things, I’ve heard—you just want to cry listening to them. We should not accept this as some kind of standard practice.”
Really interesting article – very timely as we celebrate International Women’s Day this weekend all about my friend @RealDeniseLewis, what a strong women she is, the amazing journey sport allowed her to travel along and how athletics gives her a sense of belonging.…
— Seb Coe (@sebcoe) March 9, 2025
Following the murder of Ugandan Olympic marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei last year, Coe has worked alongside the World Athletics Gender Leadership Taskforce to strengthen protections against gender-based violence in the sport.
While acknowledging that online abuse is not a new issue, Coe believes the anonymity of social media has fuelled its rise, allowing cyberbullies to hide without revealing their identity. “There’s a huge element of cowardice in social media,” he said. “People say things online that they would never have the courage to say to someone’s face.”
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