
On August 3rd 2021, recently crowned fastest woman in the world and 100M Gold Medalist, Elaine Thompson-Herah tweeted that she had been blocked for posting videos of her victorious 100 and 200 meters races because she “did not own the right to do so.” However, a Facebook spokesperson later said that while the content was removed, the suspension was wrongly applied. Her access to the app was reinstated several hours later.
Thompson-Herah secured an unprecedented 100m - 200m double-double. She recorded 21.53 seconds in the 200m, just 0.19 seconds off Florence Griffith-Joyner's long-standing world record. Due to the incredible accomplishment, the Jamaican feeled the joy of sharing her incredible moments on social media.
Apparently, there are strict copyright restrictions on sharing content from the Games online. International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines mandate that athletes must not post Olympic Games content containing audio and video of the sporting event or medal ceremony. This is because a set number of broadcasters hold exclusive rights to broadcast the Games. Their rights include distribution on social media. However athletes "are invited to share the content" posted by these broadcasters on their accounts
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