Is Elite Sport Taking a Sufficiently Proactive Approach to Athlete Safety?

Professional athletes are more exposed than ever. The rise in their visibility has reshaped the sporting world and, in many ways, this is a positive shift. Fans are able to connect with their favourite athletes in ways that were previously impossible, creating a stronger sense of access, connection and inclusivity. However, this exposure is coming at an increasing cost to athlete safety.

Cricket offers a clear example. The Indian Premier League has been valued at approximately $19 billion. On a per-match basis, it is considered the second most valuable sports league globally, behind only the NFL. Much of this growth has been driven by the rapid rise in the women’s game, where players have quickly become global, highly visible figures.

But the same platforms that have fuelled this growth are also creating risk. Digital spaces that once enabled connection now expose athletes and their teams to unprecedented levels of abuse. Analysis during the last Women’s T20 World Cup found that a significant proportion of social media comments directed at players were sexist or misogynistic – highlighting the scale and normalisation of the issue.

For sporting institutions, the argument could be made that safeguarding their athletes is not a nice to have but a fundamental responsibility. Legal frameworks do exist, but they are struggling to keep pace with the speed and sophistication of threat actors. At the same time, physical exposure has increased, with athletes more accessible than ever in public environments. It is here that crowds and motivated individuals pose a dynamic and unpredictable risk.

Technology can reduce some forms of abuse, but it is insufficient on its own. A more proactive, intelligence-led approach is required.

This is where open-source intelligence becomes critical for security posture. At Kiris Group, we deliver bespoke monitoring, alerting and intelligence-led threat assessments. Our pre-event threat briefs provide teams with continuous and actionable insight to inform a proportionate security posture. We combine intelligence with physical security reviews and Executive Protection from the industry’s most capable operators.

In modern sport, security doesn’t sit alongside success, it underpins it. The cost of getting it wrong is felt in disrupted performance, reputational damage and lost opportunity. We are trusted by some of sport’s biggest names because we identify and mitigate risks before they escalate, allowing athletes and their organisations to focus exclusively on performing when and where it matters most.