Greece triple jumper gets the boot over racist tweets
Source: Agencies |
July 27, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TRIPLE jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from Greece's Olympic team for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right party.
Papachristou wrote: "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!". Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed on Wednesday.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee said that Papachristou had been excluded from the team "for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the Olympic movement."
"It's the same as violating fair play," Isidoros Kouvelos, the head of Greece's Olympic mission, told the country's Skai TV channel. "We are not here just to get medals, but to promote the Olympic ideals, to show our character."
Meanwhile, Greece's world indoor high jump champion Dimitris Chondrokoukis has pulled out of the London Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, the athlete's father said.
The high jumper, who was one of Greece's best hopes for a medal in track and field, will seek a retest, his father said.
Papachristou wrote: "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!". Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed on Wednesday.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee said that Papachristou had been excluded from the team "for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the Olympic movement."
"It's the same as violating fair play," Isidoros Kouvelos, the head of Greece's Olympic mission, told the country's Skai TV channel. "We are not here just to get medals, but to promote the Olympic ideals, to show our character."
Meanwhile, Greece's world indoor high jump champion Dimitris Chondrokoukis has pulled out of the London Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance, the athlete's father said.
The high jumper, who was one of Greece's best hopes for a medal in track and field, will seek a retest, his father said.
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