ASICS Commits to Protecting the Mental Wellbeing of Athletes with Action to Tackle Online Harassment

ASICS today reaffirms its commitment to supporting the mental wellbeing of athletes with a new initiative to help protect against online harassment and cyberbullying. With research¹ showing an increase in the number of athletes experiencing online harassment, ASICS is offering its sponsored athletes access to cybersecurity services to minimise exposure to abusive content during major events.

ASICS is partnering with data science company Signify to help protect its sponsored athletes from online harassment and support them to reach their performance goals. ASICS is offering athletes access to Signify’s AI-driven Threat Matrix service to help prevent and manage abuse on social media. The service will put an online protective shield around athletes to help them feel safer and enable them to engage their audiences without fear of abuse.

This new initiative is part of ASICS’ broader ‘Mind and Body Athlete Support Programme’ offering sponsored athletes access to a range of services to enhance their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as initiatives related to clean sport. Through the new programme, ASICS will strive to provide athletes with a unique support service designed to support both their personal and professional development.

Olivier Mignon, Global Head of Sports Marketing at ASICS said: “At ASICS, our five letters have meaning. ASICS is an acronym from the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or ‘a Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. Which is why caring for the wellbeing of athletes has always been at our core. While we’re proud to support athletes to win and break records, we don’t believe in winning at all costs. The physical and mental wellbeing of athletes is more important than any podium place.

Our aim is to support athletes to reach their performance goals without compromising their wellbeing. We are acutely aware of the negative impact of online harassment and cyberbullying on mental health, and so are keen to help protect our athletes from online abuse.”

Eilish McColgan, three-times Olympian, Commonwealth Games champion and European Champion medalist, said: “Sadly, online abuse is something that pretty much every elite athlete has to deal with these days. Personally, I receive a barrage of abusive messages and comments, especially when I compete. That abuse is almost never about my performance but almost always about my body and the way I look.

Over the years, I’ve become accustomed to the comments, and I stand up for myself. But it is not OK. The constant abuse that athletes face is unacceptable, and it’s getting worse. I’m grateful to have the support of ASICS and this new initiative to help block and remove harmful content, so my mind can focus on the things I love most: running and competing.”

Jonathan Hirshler, Signify CEO said: “Signify is delighted to be supporting ASICS and its athlete family in this way. The brand values of ASICS and its commitment to protecting the overall wellbeing of athletes chimes closely with our own mission and what we set out to achieve with Threat Matrix.”

¹ https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2024/january/online-abuse-aimed-at-athletes-on-the-rise/

About ASICS

At ASICS, our five letters have meaning. ASICS is an acronym for the Latin Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body. And since our founding in 1949, our purpose has been to help people achieve a Sound Mind in a Sound Body.

Right from the very start, our founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, saw that sport and movement had the power to lift spirits, project positivity, and propel people and whole communities forward. We still believe this.

And we believe our purpose is more relevant today than ever before. Stress and anxiety are at record levels, yet we know sport and movement can have a positive impact. This is why we remain focused on supporting more people to move for positive mental health. 

About Signify Group

Founded in 2017, Signify is an ethical data science and artificial intelligence company that uses open-source data to better understand what fans, consumers and the wider public really think and care about.

Signify’s Threat Matrix service, which utilises AI and open-source forensic investigation techniques, was launched in 2020 to protect individuals from online abuse and threats. The service has grown and diversified and is now a leading solution in the sports sector. It is used by various sports organisations, including federations, clubs, leagues, player unions, major events, and brands to protect athletes and other participants and to deliver real action.

About Signify’s Threat Matrix

Threat Matrix combines the very latest artificial intelligence innovations, human expertise, and open-source investigation techniques to monitor, identify and investigate abusive, threatening and discriminatory content - at scale and in real-time. The service includes:

• Proactive real-time monitoring from open source data on key platforms including X, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube
• Coverage in more than 35 languages plus identification of the weaponisation of emojis and images
• Daily reporting of abusive and threatening content and accounts to platforms to ensure appropriate action is taken
• Expedite abusive content take-down/sanctioning of account holders - where platform community guidelines are evidenced to have been broken
• Proven ability to unmask the worst abusers who hide behind ‘anonymous’ accounts with the most serious cases reported to relevant law enforcement agencies for assessment and action