"Thousands of AI photos using my face and body": Shocking confession from Indian female powerlifter... The nightmare that followed after winning a silver medal

*This content was translated by AI.

What came back after winning a silver medal on the world stage was not just congratulations. Indian female powerlifter Kiya Kunal Banerjee suffered damage from thousands of AI-generated images using her face and body being distributed online.

The Indian outlet Bangalore Mirror focused on the issues of sexual objectification and online harassment faced by female athletes on October 29 (Korean time), introducing Banerjee's case.

The outlet reported, "Indian powerlifter Kiya Banerjee won a silver medal with a 140 kg deadlift at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships," adding, "However, she revealed that thousands of AI-generated images using her face and body were distributed without her consent following the result."

Banerjee competed in the women's junior 47 kg class at the tournament held in Sun City, South Africa, last August. Although her weight was only 45.7 kg at the time, she lifted 140 kg, more than three times her body weight, to secure a silver medal in the deadlift event.

Although she achieved valuable results on the world stage, unexpected events occurred afterward. As match videos spread rapidly online, attention shifted from her performance to her appearance and body. On top of this, AI-generated images utilizing Banerjee's face and body were mass-produced and circulated.

The shock was compounded by the fact that it escalated beyond simple appearance criticism and online sexual harassment to image abuse using AI technology.

Through Banerjee's case, Bangalore Mirror shed light on the reality where female athletes are consumed for their appearance and bodies rather than their performance and achievements.

The outlet pointed out that even if female athletes create records through rigorous training and produce outstanding results, they are not free from evaluations of their appearance and sexual objectification.

It was not just Banerjee's problem.

Female athletes in various sports such as basketball, rugby, and track and field, as well as sports influencers, shared their experiences of being exposed to appearance criticism, sexual messages, and malicious comments online.

Ritika, a sports influencer who enjoys basketball and biking, confessed, "I just want to show the sports I do, but people ignore my efforts in exercising, meeting athletes, and working hard, focusing instead on irrelevant things like my body."

She revealed that after receiving sexual comments and messages, she became cautious about how she presents herself on social media. She stated that at one point, she felt such a burden from sexual objectification that she did not want to show any part of her body.

The spread of AI technology is becoming another threat to female athletes.

While malicious comments and sexual messages were the main issues in the past, it has now become possible to easily create images that do not actually exist using athletes' photos.

Bangalore Mirror also pointed out that image abuse utilizing AI is emerging as a new threat faced by female athletes in an online environment where regulation is insufficient.

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*This content was translated by AI.