Doesn't it seem odd that the world's most acclaimed sporting event for equality, brotherhood and sportsmanship has been the stage for high profile racism?
In this age of worldwide social media tools, there is nothing easier than to broadcast one's thoughts to a global audience.
Hence, when Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou and Swiss footballer Michel Morganella let loose with their "racist" tweets, they immediately unleashed a global backlash that was felt not just by the players but also their entire delegation.
Voula Papachristou was kicked off the Greek delegation even before she could fly to London, after tweeting against African refugees in her country.
Morganella on the other hand, fired off a twitter rant after his team lost to South Korea 2-1, using a slang word that referred to those suffering from Down's Syndrome.
It just goes to show that being a world class athlete doesn't make you a world class human being. And, for most of these athletes, the Olympics is all about winning, not about the spirit of sportsmanship.
In this age of worldwide social media tools, there is nothing easier than to broadcast one's thoughts to a global audience.
Hence, when Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou and Swiss footballer Michel Morganella let loose with their "racist" tweets, they immediately unleashed a global backlash that was felt not just by the players but also their entire delegation.
Voula Papachristou was kicked off the Greek delegation even before she could fly to London, after tweeting against African refugees in her country.
It just goes to show that being a world class athlete doesn't make you a world class human being. And, for most of these athletes, the Olympics is all about winning, not about the spirit of sportsmanship.
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