• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, August 1, 2012

The Olympics is a unique event that brings together people of all different nationalities, races, and creeds so they can express their shared love of sports and hatred of each other. Or so it would seem judging by the incredibly, gratuitously bitchy comments posted by fans and athletes alike. The only question I’m left with is: are they evil racists or just stupid dumbasses?

Some of these fools didn’t even make it to the Olympics. Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from the Olympics before she even arrived, after posting a racist comment on Twitter. Since I don’t believe in glossing over these kinds of details, here’s what she said: “With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!” The 23-year-old Papachristou, who is a triple jumper with no formal training as an entomologist, later lamented her ban: “After so many years of hurt and sacrifices to try and get to my first Olympics I am very bitter and upset.” You mean with yourself, for being an idiot, right?

Then Michel Morganella, a soccer player on the Swiss Olympics team, decided Twitter would be a good place to share his feelings after losing to the South Korean soccer team. Once again, just calling it a “racist tweet” (now a genre unto itself) doesn’t really do it justice, so here’s what Morganella wrote, in French: “I f*** all Koreans, go all burn yourselves. Ahahahaha bunch of retards.” At this point one has to wonder: did anyone tell these athletes that other people can, in fact, read what they post online?

Then there’s the fans. Oh, the great unwashed masses, seething behind their televisions and online video streams. After British diver Tom Daley failed to win a medal, a disappointed British teenager tweeted: “You let your dad down I hope you know that!” That was a reference to Daley’s father, who died last year of brain cancer.

Wow, feel that Olympic spirit.