August 29, 2008 | Sex & Society

NBC sorry for de-gaying gold medalist

When 20-year-old Australian diver Matthew Mitcham won gold at the Beijing Games, NBC was accused of censoring images of Mitcham with his boyfriend Lachlan -- the two actually kissed following the medal ceremony.

It was an odd oversight considering Mitcham was the only openly gay male competing at the games, but not a single reference to his orientation was mentioned after he won gold in the 10 metre platform diving event.

"Anyone watching NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics is aware how much time the network devoted to many athlete’s personal stories," said AfterElton.com.

"Michael Phelp’s record setting eight Olympic gold medals and his relationship with his mother, Usain Bolt’s gold medals and world records, and even Sanya Richard’s relationship with her fiancée who plays for the New York Giants.

"Was Mitcham's win simply not that noteworthy? Given that he single-handedly kept the Chinese from winning every men’s diving gold medal, that explanation is highly unlikely."

NBC initially argued it was too difficult to cover every athlete's personal story. And since Mitcham is not an American diver his story may be less interesting for an American audience.

However, on Wednesday NBC's head of Olympic coverage admitted the network was in the wrong. "We regret that we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham's story," Gary Zenkel told AfterElton.com. "We apologise for this unintentional omission."

They can make it up to all of us by posting new pics of the delicious diver daily for the next month.