Latest news with #GeorgiaHunterBell
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Abuse has become normalised': report details devastating impact of online hate
The amount of 'vile' online abuse directed at people in sport is getting worse and is having a 'devastating impact' on their lives, livelihoods and families, a new report by Ofcom and Kick It Out has found. One anonymous respondent said they had even barricaded themselves inside their house for a week for fear of who they might meet outside, while others spoke of the damage done by threats made to themselves or their families. They included Azeem Rafiq, who told the report that nothing could prepare him for the abuse he received after speaking out about racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Related: 'There's a dark side': 1500m star Georgia Hunter Bell calls for online abuse to stop 'The impact of this experience on me as a human being and on my mental health has damaged my life to such an extent, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to quantify it,' he said. 'People would post on social media that I was a 'Dirty P-word'; that I should 'Fuck off back to Pakistan' and that 'All Muslims are bombers'. The abuse left me feeling incredibly paranoid, at times, and often made me question my sanity.' Meanwhile, the former rugby referee Wayne Barnes said that while he could cope with abuse suggesting that he should be hanged, and images of him as an effigy being attacked, it was a different story when it was directed at his wife. 'What made it worse was the direct impact over time on my family,' he said. 'Misogynistic language aimed at my wife because of her association with me, including comments like 'You fucking bitch! You slut! Tell your husband he's shit' and, at times, threats of sexual violence.' The report also spoke to sport stars, who said abuse had the potential to affect their performance, as well as presenters who said they often self-censored because of online hate. The Kick It Out chair, Sanjay Bhandari, said the report showed that abuse of people in sport had become 'normalised'. 'The impact of online abuse is undeniable, and the rise in discriminatory social media reports to Kick It Out last season shows it's getting worse,' he said. 'This isn't about a few hateful comments. It's about a culture of abuse that has become normalised. It's about a social media ecosystem that too often enables and amplifies abuse. And it's about victims who feel imprisoned by that culture of abuse.' While much of the abuse is not illegal under the law, the report found it still had a deep impact – with those sending it becoming bolder because of the perceived lack of consequences. Social media platforms now have a duty under the Online Safety Act to do more to protect users. However, Jessica Zucker, online safety director at Ofcom, said they needed to be more proactive. 'So many people who work in sport are subjected to vile abuse online,' she said. 'This is having a devastating impact on them, their livelihoods and their families, and no one should have to put up with it. The UK's new online safety laws mean tech firms now have to start protecting people from illegal forms of abuse. We'll be pushing companies hard to make their services safer by design, and holding them to account if they don't.'
Independent Singapore
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
‘Nerve-wracking' return awaits Keely Hodgkinson after injury setback
Keely Hodgkinson admitted that she's feeling nervous ahead of her return to her sport, calling her upcoming race a 'nerve-wracking one.' Hodgkinson, the Olympic 800m gold medallist, will be competing in her first competition since her win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 23-year-old athlete had to put her season on hold due to a hamstring injury earlier this year. Despite the challenges, she is now preparing to compete at the Diamond League event in Stockholm on June 15. 'I feel out of practice in a way, because by the time I do race, it will be 10 months. But it's nothing we haven't coped with before. It will be a challenge, the first race will be a nerve-wracking one, because in my last race, I literally became Olympic champion. But I'm excited for it,' Hodgkinson admitted to BBC Sport. The women's 800m race in the said event would be highly competitive as it features all eight of the top-ranked athletes in the world, including British runners Georgia Hunter-Bell and Jemma Reekie. Moreover, Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma and Kenya's Mary Moraa, who won silver and bronze in the 800m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, are also participating in the race. The athlete added, 'When I saw the line-up, it was the perfect motivation that I needed for the next six weeks. Having not competed in so long, it almost seems so far away.' Now I've got that extra motivator of who is going to be there. It is going to be a hard race, we want to come out on top, so we're working really hard towards that and the races to follow after that.' 'It's not going to be easy, it never is, but I'm looking forward to it,' she noted. Hodgkinson's injury Hodgkinson gained an injury back in February during her final training session ahead of the Keely Klassic, a new athletics event in Birmingham and which she founded herself. She said that recovering from the injury required lots of her time and patience, and she reassured her fans that her recovery is going well. The athlete's main goal this season is to successfully win a gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo this September. Adding to this, she also hopes to break the one-minute 54-second barrier in the 800m. 'It's going to be hard in Tokyo, everyone is going to step it up as they do every year, the standard just gets higher and higher… We're pushing the limits, we want to break the 1:54 barrier, hopefully this year, we'll see,' Hodgkinson declared. 'But the main aim would be to win gold, and whatever [time] that comes with would be amazing. Titles last forever,' she added.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic medallist Georgia Hunter Bell leads small British team for World Indoors
Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell headlines a small Great Britain squad heading to the World Athletics Indoor Championships later this month. There will be just 13 Brits heading to Nanjing, China, for the event with Hunter Bell – who memorably claimed women's 1500m bronze at Paris 2024 on her Olympic debut, just three years after returning to the sport of athletics – as the biggest name. The 31-year-old, who made the Olympic podium as Georgia Bell but got married to George Hunter in October, has now left her job in cyber security to focus on athletics full time once again. The World Indoors is the second major championship taking place this month, following the European Athletics Indoor Championships last weekend, where GB won seven medals in total. Four of those medallists will head to China for the Worlds with men's 60m champion Jeremiah Azu and bronze medal winner Andy Robertson both competing over the shortest distance again, European bronze medallist Revee Walcott-Nolan joining Hunter Bell in the women's 1500m and George Mills hoping to match or even improve on his European silver in the men's 3000m. Amy Hunt, part of the Team GB 4x100m women's relay squad that won silver at Paris 2024, will race the 60m, while Olympic bronze medallist in the women's 4x400m relay – Amber Anning – will run the women's 400m. Pole vaulter Molly Caudery, who pulled out of the European Indoors, was one of only two British women to win a gold medal at the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow and will attempt to defend her crown in China. British Athletics have stated that the aim of these championships is to maximise medal success and top-eight placings, as well as supporting preparation at the outdoor World Championships later this year. They also explained their decision not to send any relay athletes to Nanjing, saying: 'Relay athletes will now focus on preparations for the World Athletics Relay Championships at the start of May and therefore will not be competing in Nanjing.'60m - Amy Hunt 400m - Amber Anning 1500m - Georgia Hunter Bell, Revee Walcott-Nolan 3000m - Innes FitzGerald *(subject to achieving Nanjing ranking position) Pole Vault - Molly Caudery Long Jump - Funminiyi Olajide60m - Jeremiah Azu, Andy Robertson 1500m - Adam Fogg, Neil Gourley 3000m - George Mills Shot put - Scott Lincoln
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Olympic medallist Georgia Hunter Bell leads small British team for World Indoors
Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell headlines a small Great Britain squad heading to the World Athletics Indoor Championships later this month. There will be just 13 Brits heading to Nanjing, China, for the event with Hunter Bell – who memorably claimed women's 1500m bronze at Paris 2024 on her Olympic debut, just three years after returning to the sport of athletics – as the biggest name. The 31-year-old, who made the Olympic podium as Georgia Bell but got married to George Hunter in October, has now left her job in cyber security to focus on athletics full time once again. The World Indoors is the second major championship taking place this month, following the European Athletics Indoor Championships last weekend, where GB won seven medals in total. Four of those medallists will head to China for the Worlds with men's 60m champion Jeremiah Azu and bronze medal winner Andy Robertson both competing over the shortest distance again, European bronze medallist Revee Walcott-Nolan joining Hunter Bell in the women's 1500m and George Mills hoping to match or even improve on his European silver in the men's 3000m. Amy Hunt, part of the Team GB 4x100m women's relay squad that won silver at Paris 2024, will race the 60m, while Olympic bronze medallist in the women's 4x400m relay – Amber Anning – will run the women's 400m. Pole vaulter Molly Caudery, who pulled out of the European Indoors, was one of only two British women to win a gold medal at the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow and will attempt to defend her crown in China. British Athletics have stated that the aim of these championships is to maximise medal success and top-eight placings, as well as supporting preparation at the outdoor World Championships later this year. They also explained their decision not to send any relay athletes to Nanjing, saying: 'Relay athletes will now focus on preparations for the World Athletics Relay Championships at the start of May and therefore will not be competing in Nanjing.' Great Britain squad for World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing 2025 Women 60m - Amy Hunt 400m - Amber Anning 1500m - Georgia Hunter Bell, Revee Walcott-Nolan 3000m - Innes FitzGerald * (subject to achieving Nanjing ranking position) Pole Vault - Molly Caudery Long Jump - Funminiyi Olajide Men 60m - Jeremiah Azu, Andy Robertson 1500m - Adam Fogg, Neil Gourley 3000m - George Mills Shot put - Scott Lincoln
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hunter Bell in Great Britain team for World Indoors
Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell is in Great Britain's team for this month's World Athletics Indoor Championships in China. Hunter Bell claimed bronze in the 1500m on her Olympic debut at Paris 2024, three years after she returned to the sport. The 31-year-old has since left her job in cyber security to focus on athletics full time. She will race in the women's 1500m at the event in Nanjing from 21-23 March along with team-mate Revee Walcott-Nolan, who took bronze at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in the Netherlands last weekend. Amy Hunt, part of Britain's 4x100m women's relay squad that won silver at Paris 2024, has also been named in the party and will take part in the 60m. Jeremiah Azu, bronze medallist in the men's 4x100m at last year's Games, will contest the same distance in the men's event. The 23-year-old claimed men's 60m gold at the European Indoors last Saturday with a personal best of 6.49 seconds. Andy Robertson will also take part in the 60m after he picked up the bronze medal behind Azu at Apeldoorn arena. Pole vaulter Molly Caudery was one of only two British women to win a gold medal at the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow and will attempt to defend her crown in China. Olympic 4x400m relay bronze medal winner Amber Anning will take part in the women's 400m, Innes FitzGerald is set to contest the 3,000m and Funminiyi Olajide the long jump. George Mills will race in the men's 3,000m on the back of a silver medal at the European Indoors, Adam Fogg and Neil Gourley are inked in for the 1500m while Scott Lincoln will take part in the shot put. The World Indoors normally take place every two years, but the event in Nanjing has been rescheduled from 2020 after it was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Women 60m - Amy Hunt 400m - Amber Anning 1500m - Georgia Hunter Bell, Revee Walcott-Nolan 3000m - Innes FitzGerald* Pole Vault - Molly Caudery Long Jump - Funminiyi Olajide Men 60m - Jeremiah Azu, Andy Robertson 1500m - Adam Fogg, Neil Gourley 3000m - George Mills Shot put - Scott Lincoln *Subject to achieving Nanjing ranking position.
