"London 2012 has cemented Twitter's role as both a global living room and a global water cooler. Among other things, it has played a role in the suspensions of two athletes. The International Olympic Committee has blamed loquacious Twitter users in London crowds for causing a broadcasting glitch. And its official partnership with Olympics broadcaster NBC may have led to the suspension of a journalist's account because he was critical of NBC's broadcast strategy." (Olympics: Twitter's huge, varied impact, Paresh Dave, SanFrancisco Chronicle)
That aside, with a global Twitter audience commenting on every aspect of athletes from Michael Phelps performane to Liesel Jones appearance...its amazing the impact and force Social Media has on what is fundamentally the strongest brand in the world, the Olympics.
Is this just everyone who ever yelled at a television sporting event or passed comment - negative or positive - about people in sports finally getting a voice?