The world athletics governing body has identified 87% of the sexist, racist and other hate speech directed at athletes and support staff via social media during the London Marathon.
A total of 2596 racist tweets were received through @athleticsworldcup during a five-hour period on 26 April during the race, which took place around London and nearby, according to a study published by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
The 2018 World Athletics Championships in London are under way. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
The tweet containing the highest proportion of racist language was aimed at Belgian World Championships silver medallist Laure Manaudou, with 1,507 racist comments.
England’s Sunnis threaten boycott over international terrorism label Read more
Two others, the Netherlands’ Ingrid Klimke and Jamaica’s Diamond League winner Asafa Powell, also faced a high proportion of racist tweets.
No such figures are currently available for the Diamond League events because the IAAF only tracks the abuse a month after a race, but reports last week suggested the most common racial abuse aimed at athletes on Twitter occurs during the road races in Berlin.
Comments directed towards eight-times Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt by some fans (79%), athletes from Jamaica (73%) and the US (70%) are most frequently reported.
Russia suffers from widespread racism, says Katherine Grainger Read more
Female athletes are also receiving a disproportionate number of racist comments. The IAAF said female athletes received an average of 62 racist messages compared with just 20 received by men.
The report also found that females comprise 69% of all race comments.