FIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBANIA ANNOUNCE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP IN COALITION AGAINST ONLINE ABUSE IN SPORT

FIA newsThe Fédération Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) is proud to announce that the Government of Albania is the latest signatory of the United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) campaign. The agreement ceremony took place in Tirana between FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama.The Albanian government joins a growing network of governments, international sporting federations, and NGOs who have united to tackle online abuse in the sporting world.

This recent collaboration signifies a commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive online environment, whilst also providing an opportunity for wider education and knowledge sharing, alongside raising awareness about abuse and best practices.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President said: “We deeply appreciate the support of Prime Minister, Edi Rama, and the Albanian government as we continue our important mission to drive out online abuse in sport.”

Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania said: “As a nation, we are committed to ending online abuse and we’re proud to partner with the FIA, an organisation that shares these values and is taking steps to combat a growing issue.”

Earlier this year, the UAOA campaign released the findings of its first ever industry-wide barometer survey, expressing the FIA’s grave concerns about the harmful effect that online abuse is having on sport and its competitors.

The responses painted a clear image of the challenging and aggressive social media environment that is being faced, with three quarters of federations stating that sports stars regularly face threats of harm against themselves or their families, and a worrying 90% saying this this will likely lead to them quitting the sport.

The Government of Albania and the FIA invite fellow federations and stakeholders passionate about preserving the integrity of the sport ecosystem to join them in this coalition.

For more information about the United Against Online Abuse campaign please visit www.unitedagainstonlineabuse.com

About the FIA United Against Online Abuse campaign

The ‘United Against Online Abuse’ campaign (UAOA), pioneered by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is a research-led coalition aiming to tackle the growing epidemic of online abuse and hate speech in sport. The campaign unites Sports Federations, National Governments, Regulatory Institutions and Technological Platforms, with the aim of driving regulatory and behavioural change.

To date, the UAOA coalition has welcomed endorsement from the Governments of Albania, Belgium, France, Greece, Malaysia, Slovenia, Spain, FIM, the International Esports Federation, ASETEK SimSports, and Peace and Sport Monaco.  We will welcome a further 17 federations and international sports organisations, including FIFA, the IOC, the ITF, World Athletics, World Netball and World Squash, to the coalition in due course.

The campaign is supported by the FIA Foundation.

For any further media queries, please contact: gsherwin@fia.com
To join the UAOA Coalition, please contact: ebourke-consultant@fia.com

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