International Olympic Committee – Social Media Policy

The Incident: Rule 40

The “Rule 40” within the IOC social media policy was essentially a social media gag order that kept athletes from sharing posts mentioning personal sponsors.

Clearly the need for Olympic athletes to raise funds, and promote the brands that support them is essential to their ability to compete.

A very poor social media policy provided the IOC with enough backlash that it suppressed viewership of the London Games and torpedoed their brand reputation.

The Outcome:

The Track & Field Athletes Association protested the policy including posting hash tags #rule40 and #WeDemandChange across platforms including an Olympian tape over her mouth.

The controversy stirred negative/crisis PR for the IOC and their Broadcasting partners, sponsors.

The SM² Prescription:

• SM² Discovery (preventative)
• SM² Policy with Procedures (preventative)
• SM² Customized eLearning, assessment and certification for amateur-athletes (preventative)
• SM² Public Relations Strategic Plan (preventative)
• SM²  Public Relations/Crisis Plan and Tactical Drills (protective)
• SM² Crisis Implementation (protective)