Until now, the subject of cyberbullying The issue of doping among athletes has taken on a new dimension with the publication of a report by the French Fair Play Committee*.
Of the 1,850 young athletes surveyed – ranging from the youngest in after-school clubs to future professionals at INSEP – 85% say they are familiar with’acts of cyber violence. A third of them spend more than two hours on social media.
Although they are still very reluctant to say they are directly affected, more than a quarter of them say they know a victim. And in this case, « Nearly 601 young people who have been victims or witnesses report threats and intimidation. » explains Jean-Pierre Mougin, president of the French Fair Play Committee.
The rise of sports betting (and the financial stakes involved) seems to be one of the reasons for the rise in cyberbullying among players and athletes: according to the same survey, if they lose their bet, 78% of respondents admit that it is «their fault», which weighs heavily on their shoulders. Lthe special bond that develops between athletes and the public also creates a kind of intimacy that makes it easier for the latter to address the former as if they were close.
*partner of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF).
