Milan Cortina 2026, it’s already war on haters: Japan leads the way

Attacks via social media against sports figures are now, unfortunately, a constant at all levels: insults, hate campaigns and even threats are multiplying online and often affect not only the athletes themselves but also their families. It is no coincidence that the various world federations are moving to address the problem: one particular example comes from the Japanese Olympic Committee, which in the run-up to Milan Cortina 2026 decided to move ahead, creating a veritable task force dedicated to protecting its athletes from haters.

The twenty-two-member task force will be tasked with monitoring social media, detecting abuse, and intervening quickly thanks to a team of lawyers active in both Japan and Milan. The goal is to prevent athletes from being directly exposed to waves of digital hatred, as happened during the Paris 2024 Summer Games: a choice that comes as anticipation grows for Milan Cortina 2026, scheduled for Feb. 6-22, 2026, a winter Olympics “spread” between Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.

Japan Olympic Committee’s move thus opens a new front, that of digital protection of athletes as an integral part of Olympic preparation. Milan Cortina 2026 will be a test case for this, too, because media pressure on athletes of all sports is constantly growing and social networks, by their nature, amplify every gesture and every result, also making every mistake viral, often the target of hate-filled comments that should never have space, much less in the sports context.

Francesco Lucivero

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The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will officially kick off on Friday, Feb. 6, with the opening ceremony to be held at Milan&#8217s Meazza (renamed for the occasion Milan San Siro Olympic Stadium), and then go on to conclude with the closing ceremony at the Verona Arena (renamed in turn Verona Olympic Arena) on Sunday, Feb. 22.

Sixteen disciplines that will award medals to athletes who make it to the podium: biathlon, bobsledding, Nordic combined, curling, freestyle, ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, ski jumping, ski mountaineering, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, short track, skeleton, luge and snowboarding.