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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Even before stepping on the track, Usain Bolt caused a stir at the Commonwealth Games.

A day after mingling with British royalty at the Glasgow athletes’ village, Bolt scrambled Wednesday to deny that he made derogatory comments about the so-called “Friendly Games.”

The Jamaican sprint star, who is only competing in the 4×100 relay here, was quoted as telling The Times of London on Tuesday that he was “not really” having fun in Glasgow, and using a word that derided the caliber of the games.

Bolt took to Twitter to complain about the comments attributed to him, posting: “I’m waking up to this nonsense … journalist please don’t create lies to make headlines.”

The Times defended its reporting, claiming on its website that Bolt performed a “U-turn” when he described the games as “awesome” on Wednesday.

“We stand by this story 100 percent,” said Angus Macleod, the newspaper’s Scottish editor. “We have utter confidence in this story.”

The paper also published an apparent transcript of the interview, starting with reporter Katie Gibbons identifying herself as being from The Times.

Asked if the event was like the London 2012 Olympics, the six-time Olympic gold medalist is reported to have said: “Nah. Olympics were far better.”

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