Sports Technology

Australian athletes have been warned against using Twitter during competition after officials found competitors tweeting during last week's Olympic diving test event in London.

Writing in the latest edition of the Australian Olympic Committee's Lookout London newsletter, Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Director of Media and Communications, Mike Tancred, said coaches and team managers needed to implement rules to eliminate the risk of social media derailing athletes' performance at the London Games.

Tancred stated that if athletes were tweeting during official sports competition they would be distracted at a time when they needed to be focused on their sport.

Tancred wrote "the problem was highlighted at the diving test event in London where athletes were tweeting during the competition.

"Diving officials stopped the use of social media during the competition, which was also a World Cup event, once they learned it was happening."

According to the AOC, one diver's tweet during competition read: "I'm a novice. I will stop tweeting next round. Distraction!"

Tancred added "clearly athletes are distracted when they should be totally focused on their sport."

The International Olympic Committee has allowed athletes to use social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter during the Games as it is keen to encourage more youth interest in the Olympics.

However, the AOC is also concerned that misuse of social media has the potential to cause problems for athletes during the Games and had set down strict guidelines.

But the use of Twitter during the diving test event in at the Olympic aquatic centre in London last week has highlighted another area of concern.

Tancred said some sports in Australia had specific policies about the use of social media during training and competition.

Cycling Australia has stopped athletes using telephones and other communications devices during training sessions and competition.

Cycling Australia Media Manager Gennie Sheer said in the newsletter "the cycling team has a no calls, no SMS, no Twitter, no Facebook in the pits during competition or training sessions."

Cycling Australia's successfully enforced this policy during a test event, also in London last week.

Tancred concluded that Australia's athletes are encouraged to use social media responsibly and during downtime in the village but their use of it should conform to the Olympic spirit. 

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