Swim Ireland has become the second Irish National Governing Body of sport to discontinue its presence on X, following a decision it says is rooted in safeguarding, integrity and alignment with organisational values.

In a statement, Swim Ireland confirmed it will no longer actively use the platform, citing concerns about its ethos, inadequate controls, and the current implementation of Grok AI. The governing body said X “no longer aligns with our values or our approach to transparent, responsible communication,” while confirming that the account will remain online as an archive.

The move follows a similar announcement last week from Paralympics Ireland, which became the first Irish NGB to step away from X after a formal review of its digital communications. Paralympics Ireland said its decision reflected a considered assessment of the platform’s performance in areas including meaningful engagement, audience connection and the quality of discussion.

The organisation emphasised that it regularly reviews where and how it communicates to ensure its digital activity reflects both its own values and those of the wider Paralympic Movement, concluding that its resources would be better focused on platforms offering a more constructive and respectful environment.

Together, the two decisions place Irish sport firmly within a growing international debate about the role and responsibility of governing bodies in choosing digital platforms. While X remains a major global channel, concerns about moderation, tone, and information quality have prompted several high-profile organisations to reassess their presence, including FC St. Pauli and Sport England.

Swim Ireland, like Paralympics Ireland, stressed that it is not withdrawing from digital engagement. Instead, it will continue to communicate through established channels, including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and remains open to reviewing its position on X should the platform evolve.

Sport for Business Perspective

In the Sport for Business Monthly Report on Social media, engagement on X has declined over the past year as more people exit the platform. The total engagements on the platform across the more than 30 organisations tracked by our partner Olytico have tumbled from 259,000 in December 2023 to 104,000 last month. Ironically, and perhaps even more powerfully, Swim Ireland actually topped the list of engagement per 1,0000 followers. Sport for Business is no longer active on the service, due to the same concerns over content.

 

 

 

 

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