“The media tends to overly glamorize failures,” Miki Ando criticized Japanese media for its approach to covering athlete failures, claiming that it avoids discussing them and may contribute to creating a toxic climate online
Former Olympian Miki Ando discussed the issue of online abuse faced by athletes during competitions, highlighting her own experience after the Olympics and critiquing both social media behavior and media coverage, which she believes contributes to creating a harmful environment for athletes.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 19th February
Miki Ando, a former figure skater who represented Japan at the 2006 Torino Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics, appeared on ABEMA Prime to share her thoughts about the ongoing issue of online abuse targeting athletes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Here’s a translation of her comments.
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) confirmed that it found over 60,000 abusive posts targeting athletes on social media during this Olympics, of which more than 1,000 were deemed excessively malicious and reported for removal.
Ando, who participated in the Torino Olympics as a high school student while dealing with injury-related setbacks, recalled her own experience with hate messages. “I received thousands of letters, and almost all of them were abusive,” she revealed.
These messages included comments about her appearance, insults such as “You’re Japan’s shame,” and even calls for her to quit skating. She noted how encouragement before the Olympics quickly turned into harsh criticism after she missed out on winning a medal. “It made me wonder, ‘Why is this happening?’” she said.
Ando praised the JOC for its actions during the current Olympics but admitted, “This problem didn’t start now. My reaction to the JOC’s action is more like, ‘Finally?’” She expressed disappointment that effective measures weren’t implemented earlier.
Ando also criticized the media for its approach to covering athlete failures, claiming that it avoids discussing them and may contribute to creating a toxic climate online. “The media tends to overly glamorize failures,” she said, suggesting that this excessive admiration in response to disappointing performances can fuel abusive behavior.
Sports journalist Takiguchi Ryuuji agreed with Ando’s opinion, adding, “Japanese media tends to focus entirely on ‘Go Japan!’ sentiments without offering accurate critique. They prioritize human drama over properly analyzing technique.” He suggested that this approach leaves gaps in coverage that result in frustration among critics, potentially increasing the likelihood of online abuse.
The program proposed that proper examination of athletes’ technical performance and failures by the media might serve to diffuse the anger of potential online abusers. Through constructive criticism, the narrative surrounding athletes could be improved, fostering a healthier environment for competitors.
Related topics: Miki Ando
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