Teenage figure skaters increasingly targeted by social media abuse as campaign launches

Teenage figure skaters as young as 13 are being increasingly targeted by abusive comments on social media, Olympic gold medalist Evan Bates has warned.In a sport which has seen revived popularity since the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Bates said some users were creating “toxic environments” around livestreamed events like Junior Grand Prix figure skating. That's a key event for competitors aged 13 and older with dreams of becoming Olympians in the future.“We’ve seen a huge uptick in viewership and our online streams, but with that comes more chatter and unfortunately more of that negativity,” said Bates, who chairs the International Skating Union's athletes committee.“We’re talking about minors and kids who don’t deserve that kind of abuse. A skater’s pursuit of their dream to skate at ISU level shouldn’t come at the expense of their mental health or well-being.”Bates was speaking ahead of the International Skating Union signing up Friday to a campaign against online abuse. The