Sport England, the government body responsible for growing grassroots sport, has taken a decisive stand by indefinitely suspending its activity on Elon Musk's social media platform X. The organisation cited a toxic environment on the site, which it says has become "hostile to women and girls".
A Platform Undermining Safety and Welcome
The decision, announced on 8 January 2026, follows growing concerns about the platform's direction and its association with the controversial Grok AI. X, formerly known as Twitter, has been embroiled in scandal over claims that its AI tool allows users to generate sexually explicit imagery, including of children.
Sport England chair Chris Boardman was unequivocal in his condemnation. He stated that X has been home to "abhorrent outputs" which have "contributed to the amplification of and worse, normalisation of, misogynistic content".
"Sport should always be a place where everyone feels safe and welcome," Boardman asserted. "Those are values worth standing up for. When a space undermines that, walking away is not weakness – it is a responsibility."
Amplified Abuse and a Strategic Withdrawal
Boardman linked the move to previous incidents of online abuse, specifically referencing the "horrific sexist and racist abuse" directed at the England women's football team, the Lionesses, during their European Championship victory last summer. The UK media regulator, Ofcom, had already condemned this abuse.
"Last summer we urged action on the horrific sexist and racist abuse being levelled at our Lionesses," Boardman said. "Alongside these actions, we have to make choices about where we show up as an organisation and where we don’t."
He concluded that "X has become a less effective way for us to do our job", noting that "the tone of conversation has grown increasingly divisive and reductive."
Moving Platforms Amid Regulatory Scrutiny
With its departure from X, Sport England will now focus its social media engagement on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and BlueSky. The move coincides with a government-backed Ofcom investigation into X and Grok concerning the generation of sexualised AI images.
Boardman acknowledged that some believe in staying within difficult spaces to challenge harmful narratives from within, but Sport England has concluded that withdrawal is the necessary course. The body's primary mission is to foster the growth and development of community sport across the nation.
In a related move highlighting the sports sector's concern over online abuse, fellow funding body UK Sport last month signed a contract worth over £300,000 for an app designed to detect and block social media abuse targeted at athletes.
