Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has said it was “nonsense” that he had called the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow “a bit s***”.
He is said to have made the comments to a reporter from The Times, which on Thursday published the conversation in full.
Angus Macleod, the newspaper’s Scottish editor, said he stood by the story “100 per cent”.
Six-time Olympic champion Bolt denied on Wednesday that he had made the comments, responding on his Twitter feed by saying: “I’m waking up to this nonsense..journalist please don’t create lies to make headlines.”
Mike Hooper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said he accepted Bolt’s version of events.
Hooper said: “We take Mr Bolt at his word. We’re very pleased with how he’s responded and that’s our position.”
The encounter was reportedly as follows:
Katie Gibbons (KG, Times reporter): Hi Usain, I’m Katie Gibbons, a reporter from The Times. Nice to meet you.
Usain Bolt (UB): Hi.
KG: How are you?
UB: (Shrugs)
KG: So are you enjoying the games? Are you having fun?
UB: No.
KG: Really, why not?
UB: I’m just not… it’s a bit s***. (Shrugs, looks up to grey sky).
KG: What do you mean?
UB: I’ve only been here two days.
KG: Is it like the Olympics?
UB: Nah. Olympics were better.
KG: Really, how?
UB: (Shrugs).
KG: Where are you off to now?
UB: To do some business.
PA