Coverage of
the Olympics used to be controlled by the media. But at London 2012 athletes
are in control - with social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Up to a
point.
London 2012
has been the Olympics at which athletes have held control of their own coverage
in the palm of their hands.
More and
more, athletes have been using social media, like Twitter, Facebook and
YouTube, to tell their fans about all the important - and less important -
things in their lives. The platforms offer new opportunities for
self-promotion.
Soon after
his enthralling sprint for gold over 100 meters, Usain Bolt celebrated with his
fans on FaceBook and Twitter - publishing a photo of his successful sprint as
well as a few trademark, self-confident comments.
The
reactions came in like a flash.
"Amazing,
Usain! Surely you are the greatest of all times," a fan said on Twitter.
And Bolt promptly retweeted the comment to his 984.000 followers.
Leaving
nothing to chance
Four years
ago at the Olympics in Beijing, Facebook and Twitter were regarded as a niche
phenomenon - they were a minor issue for the International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
 |
| Jamaican runner Usain Bolt - a keen self-promoter - has declared himself "the greatest" |
This year in London, however, things are very different.
In
preparation, the Games organizers created their own platform - the Olympic
Athletes' Hub. It bundles Facebook comments and tweets from many of the
athletes.
But the IOC
has left nothing to chance. It drew up four pages of guidelines to govern the
athletes' use of social media.
Athletes
are forbidden to publish audio and video of their events. All comments have to
be written as first person diary entries. And advertising on behalf of sponsors
has also been strictly prohibited.
Most
athletes have stuck to the IOC's rules. They have supplied fans with photos of
medals, thanked them for cheering them on, or bemoaned their own failure.
But social
media has proved to be a law unto itself - it cannot be controlled as easily as
the IOC would hope.
 |
| Michel Morganella was expelled from the Olympics for posting an offensive message on Twitter |
In the
first week of the Olympics, Twitter was the social media of choice for athletes
who wanted to complain about their experiences in London. Social media was also
the conduit for scandal.
Upon
arriving in London, some athletes used Twitter to complain about an
"odyssey" they had been forced to endure while travelling by bus to
the Olympic village in East London.
Then, a
Greek triple jumper published a racist slogan and a football player from
Switzerland allegedly incited hatred against an opponent - they both had to
leave.
In the US,
some athletes also protested against the advertising ban.
Control
where possible
There is no
way for the IOC to keep total control of the thousands of tweets and Facebook
comments that have been posted.
Instead, it
has tried to create such a positive buzz about the Olympic Athletes' Hub that
any negative news is blasted out of significance.
But this
brave new world of social media means the next Olympics in 2016 will have an
even greater task on its hands.
While
Britain's national broadcaster has attempted to offer audiences full coverage
of the Olympics for the first time - of every event on more than 20 channels -
the feeling is that traditional radio and TV are out. And mobile
distribution is in.
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