Greek Athlete Booted Off Olympic Team For Racist Tweet

Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou will not be representing her country at the 2012 London Games after she shared an offensive tweet directed at African immigrants. The website Keep Talking Greece translated the tweet, which was sent on Monday: “With so many Africans in Greece…At least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!!!” She was expelled from the team on Wednesday, after the AP reported that the Hellenic Olympic Committee said Papachristou was removed “for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the Olympic movement.” Her retweets and postings about a far-right political party in Greek also made the committee uncomfortable. Papachristou took to her Twitter once again to send an apology.

I would like to express my heartfelt apologies for the unfortunate and tasteless joke I published on my personal (cont) tl.gd/ih3mcp

— βούλα Παπαχρήστου (@papaxristoutj) July 25, 2012

Here’s the entire apology posted on TwitLonger.