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Guest Author, Jarrod Baker here at Fleishman-Hillard Sydney - as published on Winter Games Connect

 Arguably Australia’s most prominent television channel and primary broadcaster of the Vancouver Winter Olympic games, Channel 9 has been hit with a blizzard of complaints over homophobic comments made by former CEO and Winter Olympic host Eddie McGuire. McGuire’s comments were made along with fellow host, Australian comedian Mick Malloy, following U.S. athlete Johnny Weir’s routine in men’s figure skating. McGuire and Malloy commented on Weir’s clothing, and used terms including ‘flamboyant’ and ‘in the closet’. 

Just moments after the exchange on live television, a wave of outrage flooded Twitter from thousands of angry viewers. Here are a few examples.

• @Shhhannon Just saw Eddie McGuire step in it with an inappropriate comment about a male ice-skater. Watch this space for controversy!
• @nilesedgeUgggh who let Eddie mcguire near the winter olympics??
• @chicachowCan’t decide what he finds more offensive: channel nine’s vaguely homophobic figure skating commentating or Eddie mcguire’s face.
• @ozreedgal: eddie mcguire has made a number of little digs about competitors’ s-xuality since I’ve been watching 2night. He’s obsessed #olympics.

The outrage continuesin the aftermath of McGuire’s comments, above and beyond the competition and Olympic stars. Currently a Facebook group, ‘Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage,’ has some 11,000 members – a figure that grew from just 195 people after McGuire’s comments on Weir.

So what’s the latest? Eddie McGuire is currently being investigated by an Australian anti-discrimination board following an outpouring of emotion and official complaints.  As television coverage rolls on and McGuire presides over what’s been a fascinating spectacle, the spotlight’s not just on the games themselves, but also on Eddie. In this case although the media’s covering the Vancouver games, social media is covering the media!

by Jarrod Baker