Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, who is openly gay, has come to the defence of Stephanie Rice for her anti-gay comments, saying that the swimmer is not homophobic in any sense.

Rice, 22, had tweeted, "Suck on that faggots. Probs the best game I've ever seen!! Well done boys", following the Wallabies' last-minute rugby union win against South Africa.

But Mitcham, 22, has come to her defence, writing on Twitter that, while Rice's comments were thoughtless, "she luvs gays".

"I agree, it was offensive and very thoughtless, but being friends with her for 2yrs, I know she is not homophobic," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mitcham as writing.

"She meant no malice, and she has apologised for her careless comment posted in the excitement of the moment.

"That's enough for me to forgive a friend," he stated.

Mitcham also added that the furore surrounding Rice's comments was "a wake up call" to parts of society "that they can easily offend without meaning to, eg. that's so gay". (ANI)