Many watch the Olympics to see humans triumph over the greatest odds to achieve their Olympic dreams. And with the ubiquitous presence of social media in our society, no doubt many will follow these triumphs on their favorite new media channels. Or will they? Before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games even begin, there has been a cloud of confusion settling over the competition. Although it is predicted that more than 200 million plan to watch the games over the 17 day period, it seems they won’t have such luck online.

It turns out many Olympic athletes are confused as to whether they can share their experiences on blogs, Twitter or other social media sites. According to the International Olympic Committee, “athletes and other accredited people must keep their posts confined to their personal experiences… Only those persons accredited as media may act as journalists, reporters or in any other media capacity.” Athletes are also banned from blogging about sponsors or advertisers who aren’t official Olympic partners.

Poor communication about the dos and don’ts of blogging, and fear of breaking IOC rules, have left most athletes simply abandoning their blogs and Twitter pages. As such, the Committee has come under fire from many fans wanting to gain a first-hand perspective from their favorite athletes. Lindsey Vonn, one of America’s best chances to score a gold medal, told 35,000 Twitter fans she sadly has to refrain from tweeting until after the Games.

If the Committee had better communicated its guidelines prior to the Games, millions of people would have the opportunity to engage in the experiences and emotions athletes go through during this most elite athletic competition. Without a doubt, it would have added another meaningful layer of understanding about the extent of human endurance. After all, aren’t the Games just as much for the audience as they are for the athletes?

-- Jenn DeBarge Goonan, Senior Account Supervisor