Instagram Accidentally Blocked Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah
Elaine Thompson-Herah, the world’s fastest woman, was blocked from Instagram on Tuesday after posting footage from her 100 and 200-meter races. However, after a few hours, her access to the app was restored.
There are strict copyright restrictions on sharing content from the Games online. Thompson-Herah said on Twitter that she was blocked from accessing her account because she posted videos that she "did not have the right to do so".
A spokesperson for Facebook told Reuters news agency that while the content had been removed, the suspension had been wrongly applied.
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, the IOC told Reuters that athletes "are invited to share the content" posted by these broadcasters on their accounts.
Any content that breaks these rules is removed immediately. It is not clear where the footage the sprinter posted came from.
For the time period that includes the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the Tokyo Games, the IOC is set to receive more than $4bn (£2.8bn) in broadcasting rights. The majority of the money goes back into the Games and supporting sports and athletes.
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. Thompson-Herah is set to compete on Friday in the 4x100m relay final.
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