IOC gets tough at last - on social media use

The International Olympic Committee may have gone soft on the cheating Russian state-sponsored doping programme, but it is threatening to show no such leniency to anyone found breaching its staunch social media guidelines during the period of the Rio Games. Talk about picking your battles. Brazenly and defiantly cheat the most important principle in sport, and clearly the IOC are prepared to give you a second chance, as they did with the Russians whose activities were exposed in the McLaren report.

But having non-approved contact with a sponsor via social media channels during the Games could get athletes into deep trouble, and possibly even result in medals being taken away in extreme circumstances.

The rules governing social media interaction with sponsors and the like are covered in a byelaw of the Olympic charter known widely as ‘‘Rule 40’’.

In it athletes are warned that any interaction with non-Olympic sponsors during the period of the Games could see them in breach of the rule.

During a blackout period between July 27 and August 24, non-Olympic sponsors are banned from using words such as ‘‘Olympic’’, ‘‘Rio’’, ‘‘2016’’ or ‘‘effort’’, and cannot use even a generic picture of a medal.

Under the rule, competing athletes are pretty much advised to sever all contact with the sponsors who support them throughout the remaining time in their careers when they are not competing in the Olympics.