From chocolate muffins to anti-sex beds – how athletes bank on TikTok to promote their brand

PARIS – When Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen set off for a training camp 3½ weeks before the Paris Olympics, he had 3,000 followers on TikTok. But a chocolate muffin changed everything.

A series of videos about his obsession with the dessert served at the Olympic Village’s dining hall has shot the athlete to internet fame – the 27-year-old now has a following of over 400,000 on the social media platform.

The “Muffin Man” is just one of many athletes who have gone viral on social media at the Paris Games, where it is not just the sporting action that has captured the attention of the world.

Observers are calling this 2024 edition the “TikTok Games”, with videos of athletes testing the sturdiness of “anti-sex” cardboard beds in the village garnering millions of views, as have those of Olympians documenting their experiences at the quadrennial event.

Christiansen believes that social media has changed the way athletes interact with others, saying: “I feel like as professional athletes, we are a part of the entertainment industry… This also makes it so that people get to relate to us in a different way.

“I feel like a lot of people want to see what’s going on backstage at the Olympics and they want to be able to relate to the athletes. It’s a direct portal from the athletes to the people watching.”

The International Olympic Committee seems to have recognised this, as it relaxed its social media guidelines for athletes at the Games.

Since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, TikTok has grown exponentially and now has over one billion users globally.

TikTok’s global head of sports partnerships Rollo Goldstaub told The Verge that the first five days of the Paris Olympics saw 521,000 posts using #olympics, compared to 29,000 over the same period at the Tokyo Olympics.

While certain restrictions remain to protect the interests of media rights holders and sponsors, athletes are now allowed to post sport-related content, including the opening and closing ceremonies, the Olympic Village and training venues.

Even stars like gymnast Simone Biles and tennis ace Coco Gauff have joined in the fun on TikTok, with the duo also engaging fans in the comments section.

Shortly after the United States women’s gymnastics team struck gold on July 30, Biles and her teammate Sunisa Lee were spotted plotting what TikTok videos to make to commemorate their victory.

Several like Christiansen have catapulted from obscurity to fame during the Olympics.

He has had people coming up to him at the Olympic Village to take photos with him. The 2019 world championship silver medallist said: “Of course I wish it was because of my swimming but this is also fun.”

Pistol shooters Yusuf Dikec, who hails from Turkey and is at his fifth Games, and South Korean Kim Ye-ji have gained popularity on the internet for their cool demeanour.

Dikec’s nonchalant pose and casual style have made him a hit online, while netizens drew comparisons to Kim’s futuristic shooting gear and composure to that of a sci-fi assassin.

American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik had to switch off notifications on his phone after he became an internet sensation following his heroics in the pommel horse event which helped the US to a men’s team bronze medal.

The bespectacled Nedoroscik has since been dubbed the “Clark Kent of pommel horse” online after he was seen removing his glasses to deliver his routine, and the country’s first gymnastics team medal in 16 years.

The 25-year-old said: “I thought they (the memes) were hilarious... It’s almost surreal to finally wind down after a day of workout, you go on TikTok and see someone made memes of you.”

Beyond attracting likes and eyeballs, a strong social media presence has helped increase the visibility of athletes and sports that may not always be in the spotlight.

In an article for Forbes, Michael Ede, founder of sports management agency Uplift11 Sports in the UK, said: “As the sports industry continues to grow and evolve, building a strong personal brand can help individuals stand out, attract new opportunities and achieve greater success.

“The world of sports is more than just athletic competition. It’s a big business, and personal branding has become an essential tool for sports management professionals.”

National swimmer Quah Jing Wen, who has gotten attention for her TikTok videos about life in the village, said: “This social media thing shows what we do on a different level and it helps other people understand us a little bit better.

“Obviously no one is going to know what we go through day in and day out but it also garners more interest and support in the stands next time. Because people are excited to see like ‘Oh she’s been posting so much of training, let’s see how that turns out for competition’.”

American rugby sevens player Ilona Maher has converted many people online to the sport with her witty videos on TikTok that cover a range of topics, from promoting body positivity to comparing the Olympic Village to popular reality dating show Love Island.

“First, it was a way to get my message out there, a way to get my team out there. Especially in Tokyo (2020), it worked to (encourage) people to tune in to our sport, get eyes on our sport,” said Maher, who won a bronze medal in Paris.

“Then, personally, it’s become a brand-building thing. I’m a female athlete in a sport that’s not very big, especially in America. It’s not a money-making sport... I want to make sports a career and I don’t think many women can think that way.”