International Olympic Committee Won't Police the Internet in Sochi

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By Sam Laird2014-01-10 14:58:42 UTC

The 2012 Summer Olympics were widely referred to as the world's "first social Games," and for good reason. This led to much hype, but also much consternation, about the International Olympic Committee's social media guidelines for athletes, fans and media alike. Yet that anxiety proved unfounded; no one was arrested, kicked out or otherwise impinged upon for running afoul of IOC rules.

We've already seen one mini-burst of hysteria in the run-up to next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi, after it was reported that a Russian official said reporters using Vine and Instagram to share videos would be booted from the Games. But, like in 2012, preemptive freak-outs appear unfounded.

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"We will not police the Internet" Alex Huot, the IOC's head of social media, told Mashable in an email, "but we ask that our fans help us safeguard the Games."

The IOC's rules for Sochi are exactly the same as they were in 2012 because, according to Huot, "There was no need to change the rules because they worked well in London."

Athletes can share photos with followers online. Fans can post photos from Olympic venues. The more the better, Huot says. Smartphone video is technically banned because of the IOC's sale of broadcast rights to the Games, but common sense says you won't land in hot water by shooting a six-second Vine video while you sit in the bleachers.

The IOC's guidelines for athletes, media and other accredited individuals can be found here. Guidelines for fans, which Huot says will also be printed on the back of tickets, can be found here.

For all the hand-wringing about digital don'ts before London, two of the Games' biggest social media stories had nothing to do with IOC rules at all. British diver Tom Daley gained widespread attention after outing a hateful Twitter troll, and a Greek triple jumper was kicked of her her country's team after posting a racist joke to Twitter.

Similarly, when a handful of Australian Winter Olympians recently said they would buck social restrictions in Sochi, they were referring to guidelines set forth by their own domestic committee, not the IOC.

Social platforms were a boon to athletes in London in terms of sheer popularity and influence. Daley gained 1.2 million Twitter followers over the course of the 2012 Games, according to Huot; Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt gained 1 million Facebook fans during that time.

Perhaps if some wily smartphone user does find a way to get juicy access to a finish line and somehow scoop the IOC's broadcast partners on a mass scale, or if Russian officials enforce rules outside the IOC's domain, we'll see some actual controversy in Sochi. But at least for now, the message seems clear, people of the Internet: Keep calm and enjoy these Winter Olympics.

Image: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Topics: Entertainment, olympics, sochi, Sports, U.S., winter olympics 2014, World