Volleyball England suspends X social media account

The decision has been made after increasing concerns that little or no action is being taken by the platform’s administrators to prevent its AI tool Grok being used to create sexualised images of women and girls. 

The move follows a similar decision by Sport England on Tuesday (13th January) to suspend its X account for what its Chair Chris Boardman described as “abhorrent outputs”, with regulator Ofcom currently investigating. 

“We are suspending our X account with immediate effect,” said Volleyball England’s Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Ford. 

“The platform’s AI tools actively amplify misogyny and abuse, creating an environment that is incompatible with who we are and what we stand for. 

“This decision formalises a deprioritisation of the platform by Volleyball England that has been underway for years. 

“As a sport built on diversity, respect and community, we refuse to lend our voice or our visibility to what we view as a toxic echo chamber that normalises harm and erodes basic standards of decency. 

“Our values are not negotiable, and our silence will not be complicit. We would encourage our member clubs that use X to consider their continued use of the platform.”