Commonwealth Bank of Australia has been forced to remove an Olympics-related advert featuring a bomb hoax skit from its YouTube channel.
An official Australia team sponsor, CBA has been bidding to cash in on the association with daily Games-related ads on
YouTube featuring the London adventures of three people dressed as the letters C, A and N.
In the most recent ad, the three report a fourth character - T - to a guard, claiming that he is sweating profusely and has a ticking sound coming from his back pack. As C, A and N make their way to a women's beach volleyball game, T is seen being wrestled to the ground by the guard.
The video was removed within hours (
although it can still be seen at the Sydney Morning Herald site), with the bank issuing a statement saying: "The Commonwealth Bank apologises for the online video released to its YouTube Channel. We acknowledge some concerns were raised and the material was withdrawn this morning."
CBA has also been using Twitter in a bid to placate angry viewers:
Security has been a central concern during the games in London, which saw 52 civilians killed in terrorist blasts on 7 July 2005. The victims were commemorated in the Games opening ceremony but this too was the centre of controversy when US broadcaster NBC cut the tribute in favour of a Michael Phelps interview.