Lord Sebastian Coe says over-use of Twitter and social media leads athletes to distraction
Lord Sebastian Coe has claimed that athletes who over-use Twitter and social media are less successful in their field.
Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme, Lord Coe said there is a "high correlation" between those who spend their time using social media sites, such as Twitter, and under-performance in their sports.
He added that he found it "bizarre" that athletes chose to post comments on social media when they could instead be preparing for "the most important moment" in their sporting careers.
The British Olympic Association chairman commented: "I just can’t imagine why you would want to be doing that when, at the most important moment in your career, you are thinking about telling the world you’ve just had a haircut or seen a movie."
Despite claiming that social media was "very important" in communicating with the younger audience in the lead up to the Games Coe said the mis-use of these sort of sites can lead athletes to distraction.
"I have walked past my parents [and] close friends an hour before a race and not even recognized them or registered them. I just find it bizarre that people can be sitting there figuring out in 140 characters what they would say to the world at that moment. Just go out and win the bloody race," said Coe.