Japan scouring social media 24 hours a day for abuse of Olympic athletes

Miura (left) and bronze medallist Japan's Sota Yamamoto with their medals after the men's competition at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Beijing on Jan 25, 2026. Miura said he had received a barrage of abusive messages at the competition in Beijing, which he went on to win. — AFP

TOKYO: Japan's Olympic committee is monitoring social media round the clock to protect athletes at the Milan-Cortina Games from online abuse and has already asked for hundreds of posts to be removed.

Six staff members in Milan and a further 16 in Tokyo will scour social media 24 hours a day, using AI tools to help detect malicious material.