Brittany Schussler's Putin Selfie Brings Grief for Canadian Skater

Brittany Schussler, the Canadian long-track speed skater who took a selfie with Russian President Vladimir Putin and posted it on Twitter, said the whole thing was a joke but many on social media are not laughing.

Schussler posted the photo, which has now been taken down, after Canadian Olympic team received a welcome from Putin on Friday, according to UPI. Putin has been criticized internationally for the country's human rights laws and its poor preparation for the Olympics.

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"I should have asked him to be my valentine!" Schussler wrote along with the deleted tweet and photo, according to the Toronto Sun. 

Schussler received a number of negative responses on Twitter.

@bschussler @WinnipegNews I find hanging out with dictators who persecute lgbt folk hilarious! You owe so many an apology. Get informed

— roy bruno mitchell (@roybruno) February 15, 2014

@bschussler @WinnipegNews horrified to see Canadian athletes gushing about Putin. Ashamed to be Canadian. time to stop funding Olympics

— Elinor Mahoney (@EG_Mahoney) February 15, 2014

Schussler took to Twitter Saturday to say that her Putin selfie was a joke and that her values are not aligned with the Russian leader's.

.@WinnipegNews I see you put up my tweet pic w/ Putin. To be clear I was joking + in no way want to be misconstrued as supporting his values

— Brittany Schussler (@bschussler) February 15, 2014

That explanation was not sufficient for some.

.@bschussler A joke? It's not a joke for the gay youth literally being tortured as a result of Putin's horrendous laws. So disappointing.

— Andrea Houston (@dreahouston) February 15, 2014

@bschussler @WinnipegNews Perhaps young Canadian athletes need better education about global affairs & human rights.

— Doug Kerr (@douglaskerr) February 15, 2014

Before the controversy, Schussler wrote that she enjoyed all the attention on social media leading up to the Sochi Olympics.

Social media is amazing! It's impossible to keep up with all of the shoutouts, congrats, retweets, etc. Please know I'm grateful! THANK YOU

— Brittany Schussler (@bschussler) January 23, 2014

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