How much should the Australian Olympic Committee really control a competitors freedom of speech?
This is the question I pose after the decision which I feel personally is complete rubbish, of suspending swimming bad boys Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk.
Both are suspended from using social media while they are competing at the Olympic games this year, and will be sent straight home after their events are completed, due to a photo they posted on social media of them holding firearms at a gun shop in the United States.
Both were sent letters by Chef de Mission, Nick Green stating “Given this incident and our previous discussions concerning your conduct, I now have concerns regarding your lack of judgment.
“As a member of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team, and as I have reminded you on previous occasions, it is an honour and a privilege to be a member of an Australian Olympic Team.
“Australian Olympians are required to meet very high standards of conduct and we cannot risk the reputation of the Team through non-compliance with the Team Membership Agreement.”
In trying to understand what the swimmers have done wrong, I am truly failing to see a lack of judgement on their part.
They posted a photo of themselves holding weapons at a gun store, hardly a crime in anyone’s book. They posted it on their own social media profile, created by themselves. The photos themselves did not contain any obscene or incriminating behaviour.
If they had have uploaded photos containing graphic imagery such as the ones in the St Kilda nude photo scandal I would then be able to understand their lack of judgement.
Understandably D’Arcy and Monk have been and still are quite controversial people due to past actions, which I do not condone in the slightest, but they have paid for their actions.
But this really raises the question, should governing bodies of sporting codes be allowed to control what their players post on social media?
By controlling what they are able to do and say on social media, are they themselves going against our values as a nation, in protecting freedom of speech.
D’Arcy and Monk have since returned to Australia and apologised for their actions.
But in all seriousness, the actions of Swimming Australia should be brought into question for being too controlling over what their athletes are allowed to post on social media.
After all, they are still people, who have lives and hobbies outside swimming.
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