Teenage figure skaters face increasing social media abuse during competitions
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Oct 9, 2026, 8:48 AM
Last updated Oct 9, 2026
Teenage figure skaters are experiencing a rise in abusive comments on social media, according to Olympic gold medalist Evan Bates. With the sport's popularity growing ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Bates emphasized the impact of this negativity on the mental health of young athletes. In response, the International Skating Union is joining the United Against Online Abuse campaign and is offering AI-powered tools to help skaters manage online harassment. Bates advocates for more experienced athletes to speak out against such toxicity.
- •Abusive comments on social media are targeting skaters as young as 13.
- •The ISU is joining a campaign to combat online harassment.
- •Bates emphasizes the importance of protecting young athletes' mental health.
- •AI tools will help skaters filter out negative comments.
- •Bates encourages older athletes to address online toxicity.
- 8:48 AMYahoo Sports — Teenage figure skaters increasingly targeted by social media abuse as campaign launches
"Teenage figure skaters as young as 13 are being increasingly targeted by abusive comments on social media, Olympic gold medalist Evan Bates has warned.In a sport which has seen revived popularity since the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Bates said some users were creating “toxic environments” around livestreamed events like Junior Grand Prix figure skating.
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