The firm hosted the United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) event in collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), which founded the coalition.

Chaired by Off the Ball presenter Ger Gilroy, the forum in Dublin on Tuesday featured prominent Irish sports stars Jenny Claffey, Ireland Padel and former Ireland Tennis player; Leah Tarpey, Leinster and Ireland Rugby player; and Tom Parsons, chief executive of the Gaelic Players Association and former Mayo County player.

One of the key proposals discussed was the establishment, under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), of an international ‘trusted flagger’ entity for sports organisations to fast-track complaints and take down notices of abusive comments that appear online.

Article 22 of the DSA sets out that providers of online platforms shall take the necessary technical and organisational measures to ensure that notices submitted by a ‘trusted flagger’ acting within their designated area of expertise are given priority and processed and decided upon without undue delay.

Senior representatives present from major sports sponsors, the Irish Mental Health Commission and national and international sports bodies called for immediate action and said that Ireland is the obvious choice for such an international entity.

Kirby Tarrant, partner in charge of Dublin at Clark Hill, legal advisor to the UAOA coalition, said: “Ireland has an experienced and robust regulatory and legal system with the expertise necessary.

“Dublin already hosts the EMEA headquarters for social media giants such as Google, Meta/Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Other very large online platforms have a major presence here also.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA and founder of the UAOA coalition, told the event: “Imagine training your entire life for a dream only to be bombarded with threats and hate online. That’s the reality for 75 per cent of athletes today.

“If we remain idle and athletes are driven from their sports due to online abuse, we will lose the very spirit of competition.

“Today, a force of good rises with the United Against Online Abuse campaign. Governments, sporting bodies, and institutions are joining hands. Today’s forum is a pivotal step in commencing our campaign’s pillars.”

The UAOA campaign is a research-led coalition working closely with Dublin City University, where it is funding six postgraduate research students.

The initiative is a collaborative mission between national governments, regulatory institutions, and fellow sporting bodies with the objective of building a global coalition to tackle online abuse within the sporting ecosystem.

Mr Tarrant said: “Online abuse in sports is not just a problem for athletes and teams, it impacts sponsors, fans, and the sports community as a whole.

“Clark Hill is proud to be part of the United Against Online Abuse coalition with the FIA. This initiative is part of our ongoing effort to provide meaningful solutions and foster a safer online environment in the sports community.”