So, here’s something I stumbled upon the other day—Georgia, yes, the country, not the U.S. state, has thrown its hat into the ring to fight online nonsense. By nonsense, I mean abuse in sports. A big, official welcome to them from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, or FIA for those of us who can’t pronounce French correctly. You know, these folks who’ve got their hands in motor sports and automotive safety pies all over the globe. And now, they’re pulling together a sort of Justice League against online trolls.
Picture this: over the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend—so, imagine fancy cars zooming around while important dudes are signing papers—Georgia’s Sport Minister, Shalva Gogoladze, gets all official with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The whole shebang’s intriguing. They both believe (passionately, I’d assume) that online abuse is out of control, like an elevator in free fall. Maybe you’ve seen or even been part of those heated online sports discussions that quickly spiral. Thick skin, people always say. Well, that’s like telling someone to just swim faster to avoid Jaws.
So now, Georgia is the tenth nation onboard this United Against Online Abuse express. I guess others finally heard the whistle and jumped on the train, countries like Greece, Albania, and some others I’d probably stumble over pronouncing if put on the spot. But yeah, it’s about banding together against this digital gnarliness, reshaping the playground that sports and athletes find themselves in—and, I suppose, trying to make the internet a tidier place too.
Georgia’s minister is big on safe sports. He’s pushing this “Start to Talk” chat-fest to report harassment. Gotta start somewhere, right? They’re pen pals now with UAOA, which is something like the mothership for these online safety campaigns. And, wouldn’t you know it, these folks are practically veterans now, with awards and accolades piling up quicker than dirty dishes. No small potatoes in the global scheme of things.
Oh, I used to think the internet would be the fix to all our problems. Connect everyone! Share knowledge! Now, well, it’s kinda Frankenstein’s monster sometimes. So, hats off to these nations, really, because “cleaning up the internet” sounds like a task for superheroes—maybe Georgia’s Yoda or Batman could take a swing at it, I dunno. It’s a little like trying to floss the Grand Canyon, probably doomed to fall short, but still, someone’s gotta at least start.
Anyway, the FIA’s been at it since 1904. Who would’ve thought they’d have to tackle online abuse eventually? If roads and racing aren’t hard enough to keep sorted. So here we are, with them leading this charge against trolls. Here’s to quieter, kinder online arenas and, less metaphorically, a much, much better place for our athletes. Fingers crossed, right?
