Greece expels Olympic triple jumper Papachristou over Twitter comments

Fox News ^ | July 25, 2012 | AP

[Rennes Templar]

ATHENS, Greece – Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from Greece's Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right party.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee said Wednesday that Papachristou had been excluded from the team "for statements contrary to the values and ideas of the Olympic movement."

Papachristou is in Athens and has not responded to calls from The Associated Press. The committee said she was to travel to London shortly before the track events start. Papachristou's Twitter account ((at)papaxristoutj) contains several retweets and postings of YouTube videos promoting the views of Golden Dawn, a formerly marginal extreme right party that entered the Greek Parliament in the recent two national elections -- in May and June this year -- by polling almost 7 percent of the vote.

But it was her attempt at a joke Sunday that went viral. Commenting on the widely reported appearance of Nile-virus-carrying mosquitoes in Athens, Papachristou wrote: "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!". Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed Wednesday.

- snip-

Before the publication of the last tweet, Democratic Left, one of the three parties in Greece's coalition government, had published a statement assailing the "racist humor" and calling on the Hellenic Olympic Committee to expel Papachristou from the Olympics "Let her make any miserable 'jokes' on social media while watching the games on TV. She definitely cannot represent Greece in London," the Democratic Left statement said.

[apro]

She is funny and hot and best of all NOT A LIB. lol!

[apro]

That's ok. Greece still has some eye candy competing: ;-)

Stella Iro Ledaki - Pole vault

Sofia Ifantidou - Heptathlon

Evaggelia Platanioti & Despoina Solomou - Swimming

Vasiliki Millousi - Gymnastics

Maria Tsiartsiani & Vassiliki Arvaniti - Beach Volley