The United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) campaign, launched in 2022 by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, addresses and combats online abuse within the sports community.
The campaign monitors online abuse via the UAOA Barometer, which assesses the impact of abusive messages on athletes, competitors, and officials across various sports.
At the FIA Officials Summit held at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama, Ben Sulayem launched the UAOA 2025 Barometer.
UAOA Key Findings
These latest findings from FIA’S UAOA campaign highlight that half of the abuse reported is misogynistic or racist in nature. This marks a significant rise from their 2024 report.
The Barometer, which contains input from academics and sports federations, notes that 75 % reported ongoing threats against competitors and their families.
It also indicates that 50% of all sports officials and referees are subject to frequent online abuse.
FIA president on UAOA findings
Following the release of these latest findings, Ben Sulayem notes that even with anti-abuse measures in place, the results indicate that abuse continues to increase significantly.
“Last year, UAOA highlighted the devastating personal toll online abuse has on competitors and athletes.
“This second edition report has shone a light on the equally unacceptable abuse faced by officials and referees—essential members of the sporting community who ensure our competitions are conducted fairly, robustly, and with integrity.
“While it’s encouraging to see more federations adopting anti-abuse measures, these findings show that the scale of abuse is continuing to grow.
“UAOA’s work in 2025 will be critical in fostering collaboration across the sporting, political, and technology sectors to create meaningful, lasting solutions that protect all members of our community.”
In light of these findings, FIA’s UAOA has pledged to spearhead the ongoing effort to promote collaboration among the sports, political, and technology sectors.
This includes launching an innovative EU-supported initiative to tackle online abuse across Europe and organizing a conference in North America in the summer of 2025.
