Oz players told to beware of media 'monster'

Australian swimmer Geoff Huegill has warned fellow athletes against injudicious use of social media at next year's London Olympics, saying it could ruin their careers.

Australian swimmer Geoff Huegill has warned fellow athletes against injudicious use of social media at next year's London Olympics, saying it could ruin their careers.

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The twice Olympic medallist and a frequent user of Twitter, the 32-year-old said he was concerned that International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines on the use of social media were unclear.

“Forget drugs and even match-fixing, social media can ruin an athlete's career and tarnish a country's reputation,” he wrote in his column. “It can start out as simply venting frustration, but all of a sudden can snowball out of control and prompt a media frenzy.” The IOC guidelines encourage athletes to use social media and “blog and tweet their experiences” at the London Games.