MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) – Sochi Olympic cauldron lighter and three-time Olympic figure skating champion Irina Rodnina apologized on Monday for a photo of US President Barack Obama with racist connotations that appeared on her Twitter blog, which she said had been hacked.
The authenticity of the @IRodnina account is not confirmed by the administration of Twitter, but indirect evidence, like its nearly 20,000 followers and the nature of previous posts, suggests it does genuinely belong to the Olympic star-turned-legislator.
“I respect the Obama family and apologize for not clearly stating earlier that I don’t support the tweeted photo or racism in any form,” @IRodnina said.
“My account was hacked, and I should have shown better judgment in my initial response and handling of the event.”
An image, which appeared on @IRodnina in September 2013, showed Obama chewing a mouthful of food, while in the foreground an outstretched hand is holding a banana at which Obama and his wife seem to be staring.
The image could have been digitally manipulated and has been making the rounds on social media for months.
As rebukes started popping up at the time, @IRodnina replied, “Freedom of speech is freedom of speech! Answer for your own hang-ups yourselves!”
