In a recent media statement, FIA President, Ben Sulayem, has come out strongly against the unacceptable levels of online abuse which are creating a blight on the sport. He believes the level of sustained toxicity have reached crisis point and it is time to take a stand.

Motorsport South Africa Chairman and FIA Senate member, Anton Roux, agrees, saying the situation is a global one which needs to be addressed. Recently one of the FIA female stewards, Silvia Bellot, was the subject of death threats.

Roux says that globally mashalls and officials of the sport need to be applauded rather than subjected to any kind of hate speech on social channels. “They volunteer their time for racing and, as Sulayem says, it is “utterly deplorable” that a volunteer such as Silvia, or any of our marshals and officials, are the subject of such hatred.”

A number of FIA staff have also been targeted with harassment and hate posts over the past few years. Roux says the same applies in South Africa, albeit to a lesser extent.

Like Sulayem, Roux, and MSA Chief Executive, Adrian Scholtz, confirm they will always stand up for their staff and volunteers. Roux says the bottom line is that without these people there would be no racing and if this kind of behaviour is left unchecked it may ultimately destroy the sport. “In any sport where there is so much passion, we expect emotions to run high, but comments and opinions should always be respectful,” he says.

Sulayem is calling on a global collaborative approach to address the issue. He has already initiated dialogue with social media platforms to play their part and confirmed they are even beginning to work with governments and fellow sports governing bodies to bring them together to make strong commitments for joint action.

The FIA is commissioning research via the FIA University into digital hate and toxic commentary specific to sport. This will provide a platform for knowledge sharing, education and prevention. They are also carefully monitoring all channels to detect any abusive content.

In the coming months, the FIA will be launching a concerted campaign by leveraging the power and reach of its entire federation which numbers 244 motoring and sporting organisations in 146 countries on 5 continents.

This campaign will build on the collaborative work by the FIA and Formula 1 through the Drive It Out initiative. “Passions run high in sport, but online harassment, abuse and hate speech must not be tolerated. Everyone in our sport, from the media, teams, drivers and fans has a role to play. We cannot ignore this. I urge the entire motorsport ecosystem to take a stand,” notes Sulayem.

Locally MSA will be doing their bit to support the sport and equally be the first to call out any abuse locally.

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PREPARED ON BEHALF OF MSA BY CATHY FINDLEY PR. FOR MEDIA QUERIES CONTACT JACQUI MOLOI AT 071 764 8233 OR This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..