Carl Lewis jumps into Romney row

Carl Lewis (in pic), the winner of nine Olympic gold medals, rebuked Mitt Romney after the Republican presidential nominee questioned whether London was fully prepared for the Olympic Games.

Carl Lewis

As Romney was mocked on US television and by the London mayor Boris Johnson in front of a crowd of 60,000 people, Lewis called on him to return home.

"Seriously, some Americans just shouldn't leave the country," said the nine-time Olympic gold medal winner . Asked whether London was ready to stage the Games, Lewis said, "Of course London is ready."

Romney stumbled into a diplomatic disaster on the first stage of his first official overseas visit as the presumptive Republican nominee when he said there were "disconcerting" signs that London was ill-prepared for the Olympics.

Later, Romney tried frantically to row back on Thursday as he said the Games would be a great success. But the damage had been done.