Article in the Swedisch Dagens Nyheter

Athletes with social media inboxes flooded with hate. Coaches receiving threats.
But referees and other officials are also affected by growing discontent.
“If we don’t address the problem, soon we won’t have any officials left,” says Gwenda Stevens, president of the International Federation of Sports Officials.
In Milan–Cortina, she wants everyone to have access to support.

During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) used an AI tool to scan thousands of social media accounts for threats and harassment. A total of 10,200 posts were confirmed as online hate and reported to social media companies for removal.
In Paris, 152 so called welfare officers were also present from various national Olympic committees, along with individuals responsible for safety and welfare work from the IOC and several sports federations.
No comparable support structure was available for officials through the IOC.
Gwenda Stevens has personal experience as an Olympic rowing referee. She is also a board member of the Belgian Olympic Committee.
Ahead of the Summer Games in Paris, she asked the welfare officer for the Belgian team whether he could also be available for the country’s officials.
“They could call him at any time, even at night. If, for example, they felt they had made a mistake and didn’t know how to deal with it, or if they had been harassed, he could help.”
Since 2025, she has also been president of the International Federation of Sports Officials (IFSO). In that role, she now wants more national Olympic committees to adopt the Belgian model. It’s necessary, she says.
“Sometimes you get comments from coaches or others that can be very unpleasant, and then you go to bed and can’t sleep because you keep thinking about those words.”
Within the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK), there is an “Athletes’ Commission” that represents the interests of athletes. There is no equivalent “Officials’ Commission.” But there is a logical explanation.
In many countries, such as Belgium, the national Olympic committee and the umbrella sports organization are one and the same — in Sweden, however, these are separated into the SOK and the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF).
“At SOK, we naturally believe that referees and competition officials deserve full respect and that fair play goes without saying. But our role is exclusively linked to performance development, preparation, and execution of Olympic events. We do not select officials for competitions — that is primarily done by the specialized sports federations and international federations. Therefore, we do not have a commission or similar body for referees or officials,” writes Johan Flodin, head of performance development at SOK, in an email to DN.
The IOC also has no commission for officials, according to Gwenda Stevens.
It’s about recognition, she says. Sometimes she feels there is little discussion of how vulnerable officials are, because it is somehow considered normal for them to endure verbal abuse.
“But if a young person sees that harassment is common, why would he or she want to become a referee?”
With social media, criticism of referees and other sports officials has escalated.
Ahead of the Olympic Games in Milan–Cortina, the IOC is again placing strong emphasis on safeguarding work. As in Paris, there will be both physical locations and phone hotlines where athletes can seek support. For Swedish athletes, Johan Flodin — who has completed the IOC certified safeguarding officer training — will be available.
Flodin also says that SOK has started a collaboration with the Swedish Paralympic Committee and the Scouts, called “Safe Championships,” aimed at creating a healthy environment for sports performance for both athletes and coaches/leaders.
Gwenda Stevens says that almost every sport faces a shortage of officials. Criticism itself is nothing new.
“When a football referee has a bad day and makes a mistake, everyone sees it. And the next day it’s in all the newspapers that he made a mistake. But when he officiates very well, you won’t read about that in the newspaper.”
One problem that has grown is social media hate, as shown by the AI scans during the Paris Games.
“That’s why officials today need more support — someone like a safety or welfare officer they can turn to,” she says.

Facts: What is a welfare officer / safeguarding officer in sport?
● A person responsible for creating a safe, secure, and positive environment for all participants.
● The work is largely preventive, for example by developing action plans and providing training.
● Serves as the primary point of contact for athletes/coaches/officials when problems arise, such as bullying, harassment, or discrimination.

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Tove Nordenhäll
Dagens Nyheter 8 December 2025