American television network NBC has been forced to apologise to Australian gold medal winning diver Matthew Mitcham, following accusations their coverage of the landmark event was ''homophobic''.
NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel was forced to issue a statement apologising for the network's failure to mention Mitcham is homosexual and has a long-term partner, which prompted outrage from gay groups who claimed many of the NBC commentators freely discussed the partners of other gold medallists.
“We regret that we missed the opportunity to tell Matthew Mitcham’s story. We apologise for this unintentional omission,” Mr Zenkel told Outsport.com.
Prior to the Olympics, Mitcham made it clear he felt his homosexuality should not be an issue, and that he wanted to be recognised for his diving achievements.