Britain’s biggest news service, the British Broadcasting Corporation, is facing criticism after deleting a social media post about teenage sprint sensation Gout Gout.
The now-deleted post, shared by BBC Sport on X shortly after Gout stunned the sporting world at the Australian Athletics Championships on Sunday, featured an image of the 18-year-old with the caption “Australian teenager Gout Gout has run 200m faster than Usain Bolt did at the same age”.
But within hours, the post was removed.
It is understood the BBC removed the post due to a “factual inaccuracy”.
Bolt was aged 17, not 18 when he set the comparable time.
However, that explanation has been disputed.
Usain Bolt’s fastest 200m time at 18 was a 19.93s, while he was 17 when he ran it a series of hamstring difficulties meant he did not improve on the time while he was 18.
Meaning BBC Sport’s original post was factually correct.
At the time of writing BBC Sport’s X page has not reposted the image.
Gout surpassing Bolt’s time at the same age has been widely reported on, including by international outlets like the New York Times, Al Jazeera and the BBC itself in at least two articles which remain online at the time of writing and feature that very statistic in the headline.
The contradiction has only fuelled criticism of the broadcaster’s handling of the situation with attention quickly shifted from the statistical debate to the image itself.
Some users suggested the BBC removed the post because the photo was unflattering with one comment claiming:
“Media houses usually do not publish unflattering pictures of people no matter their race. The BBC broke this rule, realised its mistake and deleted the photo.”
Another wrote: “The BBC deleted this tweet? Why would they do such a thing?”
One fan added “NOT GOUT GOUT!!! They better put that s**t back up right now.”
But as the post spread beyond its original context, the reaction turned uglier.
Screenshots of the image began circulating widely often accompanied by racist abuse.
News.com.au has chosen not to repeat that abuse or include the picture used in BBC Sport’s post.
The incident has drawn comparisons to the abuse faced by Tayla Harris, whose iconic kicking photo in 2019 was overshadowed by a wave of misogynistic and degrading comments — later sparking national debate about online toxicity.
Channel 7 came under fire at the time after removing the picture from its AFL Twitter account due to vile comments from internet trolls.
The 7AFL Twitter account removed the photo, replacing it with a message.
“Recently we published an image of AFLW player Tayla Harris. The original purpose in publishing the image was to celebrate the power, athleticism and skills on show in Carlton’s thrilling win over the Western Bulldogs,” the message read.
“The image attracted a number of comments, some of which were inappropriate and offensive. As a consequence we have removed the image and the comments.”
The account later reinstated the picture with an apology.
“We’re sorry. Removing the photo sent the wrong message,” Channel 7 said.
“Many of the comments made on the post were reprehensible & we’ll work harder to ban trolls from our pages.
“Our intention was to highlight @taylaharriss incredible athleticism & we’ll continue to celebrate women’s footy.”
Under Australian law media outlets can be held legally accountable for defamatory or abusive comments made under their posts.
For Gout, the racial issue is not a new one.
Born in Ipswich, Queensland, to parents who migrated from South Sudan, he has emerged as one of Australia’s most exciting sporting prospects and with that popularity, publicity.
Gout’s parents fled a region shaped by one of the most devastating conflicts in modern history, the Second Sudanese Civil War.
The war, fought between the Sudanese government and southern rebel forces, killed an estimated two million people and displaced over four million, at the time that was over half the population of South Sudan based on best estimates.
Speaking to The Australian’s Andrew Webster last year about his career so far and his relationship with fame, Gout said he drives a modest Hyundai i30, partly because he doesn’t want to attract unwanted attention to himself.
Other Australian sport stars have opted for far more flashy cars after bursting onto the scene — Michael Clarke drove a Ferrari, Bernard Tomic had a yellow Lamborghini and Nick Kyrgios drives a bright green Tesla.
Gout could afford to drive a flashier car if he wanted after signing a multi-year sponsorship deal with Adidas worth more than $6 million, which runs through to the 2032 Olympics.
Asked why he drives the modest hatchback: Gout’s coach Di Sheppard told The Australian: “Racial profiling.”
“Never been pulled over (by the police),” Gout said.
“But when I’m in a shop, they (people) look at you differently. You try to block it out. I’m just used to it. I have a tolerance for it. A high tolerance.”
