Sport England has revealed that it has suspended its account on X, because the social media platform “­increasingly promotes and monetises an environment that is hostile to women and girls”.

In a blog post explaining the ­decision the Sport England chair, Chris Boardman, criticised X’s AI platform tool, Grok, saying it had “contributed to the amplification of and worse, normalisation of, misogynistic content”.

“That runs directly counter to what we stand for,” said Boardman, who sits at the heart of a funding agency that invests £250m a year in grassroots sport and community projects. Regarding the decision to withdraw from X, he also pointed to the fact members of the England ­women’s football squad were attacked on the platform last summer. “Sport should always be a place where everyone feels safe and welcome,” he said.

“Those are ­values worth standing up for. When a space undermines that, walking away is not weakness – it is a responsibility. Last summer we urged action on the horrific sexist and racist abuse being levelled at our Lionesses. Alongside these actions, we have to make choices about where we show up as an organisation and where we don’t.”

However, Boardman also took a broader aim at Elon Musk, saying that the tone on the platform had become worse in recent years. “X has become a less effective way for us to do our job. The tone of conversation has grown increasingly divisive and reductive.

“We recognise that some people and organisations believe staying in difficult spaces and challenging harmful narratives from within is the right approach. For Sport England, however, stepping away from X is the right decision. Tech companies – particularly X – must take greater responsibility for the environments they create and the content they amplify.”

This week Ofcom launched an investigation into X over concerns that Grok is being used to create sexualised images. The government has also said it will bring into force a law that will make it illegal to create such non-consensual images.