Journalist Nico Hines as apologised for an article he wrote during the Olympics that outed gay athletes.

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After more than six months of silence, the writer said his story should never have been conceived, written, or published, and that he was deeply sorry.

During the Rio Olympics Hines, a married heterosexual journalist, logged on to dating apps, including Grindr, and reported on how many athletes were looking for hook-ups.

Writing for The Daily Beast, Hines had conversations with athletes on the apps Jack’d, Bumble, Grindr and Tinder and posted excerpts from the chats in an article entitled I Got Three Grindr Dates in an Hour in the Olympic Village.

Hines named a number of competitors who do not openly identify as LGBTIQ, some of whom are from nations who are known to have discriminatory laws and rampant homophobia.

Hines said it was profoundly wrong of him to not clearly identify himself as a journalist and report on people’s sex lives without their permission.

“The story about athletes using dating apps in the Olympic village did not ask consent and did not advance the public good. The article intruded into the lives of people who had a right to be left alone.” Hines wrote in his apology that appeared on The Daily Beast site.

“I was insensitive to the fears that constantly grip some people’s lives and it was wrong to even introduce the possibility that someone’s privacy could have been compromised. That fear is all the more acute in some of the countries whose athletes were gathered together inside the Olympic village. For anyone who was left in fear for their safety back home, I am truly sorry.”

After the original article was published The Daily Beast initially made changes to the story, before deleting it entirely and issuing an apology. Hines was recalled from the Olympics amid calls to have his press credentials revoked.

Since then the journalist has been silent, he stopped publishing to his Twitter account and disappeared from public view. His belated apology come six months after the article was published.

OIP Staff