The Russian woman who lit the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Sochi Games now claims that her Twitter account tweeted a racist photo of the Obamas because it was hacked. She also apologized for how she handled the situation.
Irina Rodnina, who won gold medals in figure skating for Russia, came under fire for tweeting a photo of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with a photoshopped banana. She deleted the photo six months ago but did not apologize.
“Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups,” she said then,
Rodnina is a politician in Russian President Vladmir Putin’s party whom Putin has appointed to Russia’s public chamber.
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. (1/2)
— Irina Rodnina (@IRodnina) February 10, 2014
My account was hacked and I should have shown better judgement in my initial response and handling of the event. (2/2)
— Irina Rodnina (@IRodnina) February 10, 2014
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