Not sporting enough? IOC bans GIFs of Rio Olympic Games

International Olympics Committee has put a complete ban on making GIFs of the Olympic Games.

Reportedly, turning Olympic material into GIFs has been "expressly prohibited" under the ban imposed by the International Olympics Committee.

According to media reports, the rule has been put in place to protect broadcasters, including NBC in the United States, that paid $1.2 billion to get the exclusive rights to air the games at the mega event.

The IOC has clarified that the ban applies to any animated formats which include "animated GIFs (i.e. GIFV), GFY, WebM, or short video formats such as Vines and others."

The document by IOC titled as, "NEWS ACCESS RULES APPLICABLE FOR THE BROADCAST OF THE GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD, RIO DE JANEIRO, 5-21 AUGUST 2016," gives the complete details about the prohibition.

"Internet and mobile platforms notwithstanding any other applicable limitation included in these NARs, Olympic Material must not be broadcast on interactive services such as "news active" or "sports active" or any other related Video on Demand services, which would allow the viewer to make a viewing choice within a channel and to thereby view Olympic Material at times and programs other than when broadcast as part of a News Program as set out in Clause 1 above. Additionally, the use of Olympic Material transformed into graphic animated formats such as animated GIFs (i.e. GIFV), GFY, WebM, or short video formats such as Vines and others, is expressly prohibited," read the text from the document, reported the Times of India.