UGLY VITRIOL: Comments on social media about Belarusian drugs cheat Nadzeya Ostapchuk have shown how 'small town' New Zealanders can be.

Hundreds of vitriolic comments on sites dedicated to shamed shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk show how "small town" many New Zealanders can be, an internet expert says.

Ostapchuk was stripped of her London 2012 Olympic gold medal earlier this week, which now goes to Kiwi Valerie Adams, after returning two positive drug tests for anabolic steroid metenolone.

More than 30 Facebook sites have sprung up filled with some terrible bile in the wake of the scandal.

On one page, which has more than 200 followers, among the tamer comments written by New Zealanders were Ostapchuk is a "minger" to longer rants labelling her the "worst kind of specimen" and a "skanky cheating ho".

Netsafe executive director and cyber bullying expert Martin Cocker said while it was unlikely Ostapchuk was paying attention to the Facebook pages, it was a poor reflection on New Zealand.

"What we have seen on social networking sites and Facebook in particular is if somebody becomes unpopular for whatever reason, people almost compete to write something more vitriolic than the last person.

"More than anything in this case, it's just not a particularly nice quality from a lot of people. We as New Zealanders like to think we're gracious winners and fair, but these kinds of pages just show that many of us are pretty 'small town.'"

Cocker said media reports were more damaging for Ostapchuk's reputation, and these trolls were not necessarily the kinds of people who would also post vile things to others who were more vulnerable.

"She has definitely brought the hatred on herself, but it isn't a good look when people show such awful qualities," he said.

Despite this, Ostapchuk obviously had supporters in her home country of Belarus. She tweeted this morning "Thank you all for your support! Your words help me to not lose heart and hope for best."

Ostapchuk this week claimed that Adams tested positive for drugs in 2005. That has been rubbished. She also pointed the finger at a former coach and said he had been arrested by Russian spies.

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