The Olympic Games are less than two weeks away, but there’s already been a misstep by the host team in the first “Social Media Olympics.”
Dai Greene, the British Olympic athletics team captain and reigning world 400m hurdles world champion, was cleared by the British Olympic Association (BOA) after breaking its social media usage guidelines during a conversation with 400m runner Martyn Rooney, according to The Independent.
The announcement came just days after Greene was named team captain.
The BOA originally looked at Greene after he tweeted “gayest tweet of the day” as a reply to Rooney’s Jun. 30 tweet about Instagram. Greene has since deleted the tweet, and the BOA has said that the issue “has been addressed and is behind us.”
The BOA also used this as a chance to remind other athletes of their social media obligations as Olympians.
“We have contacted the leadership of our athletics delegation and asked them to remind their athletes about the true importance of using social media carefully and responsibly,” a BOA statement read. “It’s basic advice that we have been providing to all members of the delegation as they go through prep camp and kitting out.”
Greene’s clearance is getting mixed reviews.
“People need to get a life,” Rhodri Tomos David tweeted. “Dai Greene was not being homophobic, just slightly stupid! When he wins gold in London nobody will remember this!”
“i hope he gets stripped of the captaincy,” Paula wrote.
Greene and his fellow Olympians would be wise to follow the advice of Greenhouse Media:
“A good reminder that tweets between you & your friends are visible to the world. Texting is always a good alternative.”
Photo via Twitter