PARIS: Members of sporting, political, business and civil society organizations have pledged their support for the new United Against Online Abuse coalition, which was launched at a conference organized by motorsport’s world governing body, or FIA, in Paris this week.

Those in attendance at the UAOA event included representatives from FIFA, UNESCO, Peace and Sport, and TikTok.

Amelie Oudea-Castera, France’s minister of sport, said: “Performance (in sport) cannot be at any price. The well-being of the athletes, their development, and their serenity as human beings … must be a priority. That is why my ministry has signed the United Against Online Abuse charter.”

Participants heard firsthand the experiences of top athletes, including Olympian and taekwondo champion Pascal Gentil, and rally driver Burcu Cetinkaya.

Cetinkaya, who is also the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission chair, shared her experiences as a survivor of online abuse.

Arwen.AI, a company using artificial intelligence to automatically detect and remove hate messages from social media platforms, presented data regarding the extent of online abuse and the impact of their tools.

The company found that 67 percent of social media users are less likely to engage with online content if they feel unsafe. Removing hateful comments saw a 56 percent rise in engagement on posts.

This data follows the UAOA’s findings from its barometer survey launched earlier this year. The study found that 75 percent of athletes have experienced physical threats, whilst over 90 percent agreed that if online abuse is not addressed, it will drive them away from their sports.

Throughout the conference, education was highlighted as a key factor to help eradicate online abuse.

The coalition has launched the United Against Online Abuse Educational Module, a free, open-access program, which explains the role of policymakers, international federations, and social media platforms in preventing and countering abuse.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA’s president and founder of the UAOA campaign, said: “This conference was an opportunity for leaders and experts to come together and collaborate on our united mission to combat online abuse.

“I thank all who have pledged their support for this coalition and urge the wider global community to come together and join us in this important fight.”

The UAOA campaign includes national governments, regulatory institutions and sporting bodies.

Support for the campaign has come from the governments of Albania, Australia, Belgium, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Malaysia, Slovenia and Spain. There have also been endorsements from Peace and Sport, the International Esports Federation, and ASETEK SimSports. 

Those expected to record their support are FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, the International Tennis Federation, World Athletics, World Netball and World Squash.

ATHENS: Olympiakos won Greece’s first European club title by beating Fiorentina 1-0 with a last-gasp goal in extra time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Ayoub El Kaabi provided the dramatic ending, diving to nudge in a last-gasp goal in the second period of extra time, with fans erupting in celebration after a lengthy wait for a VAR check for offside.

The Moroccan striker — who finished as the competition’s top scorer — struck in the 116th minute of the match, dropping to his knees as he waited the goal review. El Kaabi met a cross from Santiago Hezze to decide a game that had looked destined for a penalty shootout following an energetic but largely risk-free encounter at AEK Arena.

The late goal condemned Fiorentina and ttheir coach Vincenzo Italiano to a second straight defeat in the final of the Europa Conference League, after losing last year to West Ham.

Olympiakos coach Jose Luis Mendilibar secured a second straight European title after winning the Europa League with Sevilla last season.

Tens of thousands of Olympiakos fans joined wild celebrations across the Greek capital after attending outdoor viewing parties. Youths held up lit flares in the port city of Piraeus, near Athens, where the team is based.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Olympiakos as “a true legend,” adding in an online post: “Olympiakos has won the Europa Conference League and made history! A sensational night for the club itself, but also for Greek football as a whole.”

The third-tier European club competition took place amid a massive security operation, with some 5,000 police officers forming concentric cordons around a northern area of the capital.

The final was briefly marred by scuffles between Fiorentina fans inside the stadium and riot police next to them.

Although the visitors dominated the early stages of the final, Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano kept his team in the game with two impressive fingertip saves to block on-target shots from Daniel Podence in the fourth minute and Stevan Jovetic in the sixth minute of extra time.

El Kaabi, who scored a total of 11 goals in the competition, had been largely sidelined in the match by Fiorentina’s unyielding four-man defense.