– It is a shame that it is like that. As a person who grew up with a minority background in Norway, I know how hard it is to get such comments that are about ethnicity, says Lakeri Ertzgaard to news. The International Athletics Federation (WA) this week published a report from the Olympics in Paris, where it emerged that more than 800 cases of cyberbullying affected athletes. There it emerges that athletes from over 20 different nations were targeted, and that almost half of the messages and posts were of a racist or sexual nature. NORWAY’S 4×400 METER RELAY TEAM: Elisabeth Slettum (from left), Amalie Iuel, Lakeri Ertzgaard and Josefine Tomine Eriksen lined up for the start in Paris. Togetherness has been a trademark for the relay girls. They also ran during the EC in Rome earlier in the summer. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP – Very painful. Ertzgaard participated in the Olympics in Paris on the Norwegian 400 meter relay team, and has himself experienced that the comment section on social media takes on a life of its own. In one of the video posts, she is blamed for betraying her African roots. – I had a video that got a lot of “views”, I think it was maybe 100,000. There was a video of me in the Norwegian national team uniform, and then there were many people who commented that they thought it was strange that I, who have genes from Africa, jumped in this Norwegian national team uniform. She tries not to let comments get to her, but acknowledges that it can be difficult to overlook. At the same time, she thinks it says more about the sender than the recipient. – I know how upset I get when I get comments that I am brown or have different hair than others, or that I come from other places or have a different name or whatever. It is very painful. – Are you surprised that it still happens and that it is still a topic? – No, I don’t think it’s surprising. It is easier to throw things behind an anonymous user. I find it surprising how many strange attitudes people have when it comes to racism and body discrimination, which they feel a need to share. This is how they carried out the survey. Data is collected from 1,917 athletes’ profiles in social media on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. A total of 355,873 posts and comments were analysed. 809 posts or comments were identified as objectionable, and 128 were followed up on the relevant platforms. Racism (18 per cent) and sexual harassment (30 per cent) accounted for almost half of the harassment. American athletes were the recipients of 49 percent of the messages, although they made up less than 10 percent of the survey. Two athletes received 82 percent of all the hateful messages. For the past four years, World Athletics has monitored social media to document the harassment. Soon there will be a larger report based on all the findings. Ertzgaard believes it is important to shine a spotlight on the problem. She is supported by Marjan Nadim, who has a doctorate in sociology. – It is particularly important for those who experience internet addiction to know that they are not alone. Perhaps attention to the topic can make federations, for example, build up a preparedness for how they should support athletes who are involved in it, she says and continues: SOCIOLOGIST: Marjan Nadim has a doctorate in sociology, hate speech and freedom of speech as one of her research interests. – It can also contribute to awareness in the general population that what you write on the internet can have consequences for others. Be a real person and accept this. Delete the app Norwegian profiles such as Narve Gilje Nordås and Marie Therese Obst have previously taken drastic measures to avoid the noise. Nordås deleted the app from the mobile phone during the Olympics. Tobias Grønstad experienced his big breakthrough in 2024 with a strong race during the Bislett Games, which led to participation in the EC and Olympics in the 800 metres. He has removed the apps from the phone, and only keeps them on the iPad. The 22-year-old describes the report as sad. – There are probably people who don’t feel so good about themselves. REDUCES PRESENCE: Tobias Grønstad tries to spend less time on social media than before. That rigid focus. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB Grønstad avoids the comment field as far as possible. There is mostly nonsense. He himself has noticed that people often find a negative focus, as when he set a Norwegian record in the 600 meters earlier this year. – Then there were many who wanted to set a Norwegian record of 37.5 meters and a lot. I have experienced that there is a low threshold for writing a lot of crap. Racism and sexist violence Almost half were directed at athletes from the USA, although they only made up 8 per cent of those who were monitored. Two of the athletes were exposed to 82 percent of all the harassment. Racism was the most frequent form of derogatory messages male athletes received, while the women often received sexual and sexist abuse. Nadim says slurs often have a racist or sexist form: – Often it can seem that you are taking hold of the most prominent thing about the athlete you want to hit. Harassment is often directed at appearance, ethnic background or gender. The harassment is linked to who they are, especially when it concerns people with a minority background. – It may not be possible to hide the fact that things are becoming more sexualised, perhaps especially towards girls. It’s something we girls talked about a bit, says Andrea Rooth, who represents the Norwegian national team that is aiming for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. TALENT: Andrea Rooth is the cousin of tix champion Markus Rooth. Photo: BILDBYRÅN NORWAY – You shouldn’t think about it, but as long as it doesn’t bother you, I think it might be best to push it away a bit. She experiences it as noise, but so far has not been particularly affected. At the same time, she emphasizes that respect is great for those who are exposed to it. – I hope that we can primarily focus on sporting achievements. Published 04.11.2024, at 17.35
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