Paris OlympicsRacked Up Over 1.3 Million Posts on TikTok, a 1,828% Increase on Tokyo Games

Filled with viral moments, star-studded competitions and splashy Parisian backdrops, the Paris Olympics racked up more than 1.3 million posts on Tiktok, an increase of 1,828% on the Tokyo Games, according to figures unveiled by the social media platform on Aug. 7.

Tiktok, which partnered with Team GB during the sporting event, is also reporting that 233,440 creators made content under the hashtag #Olympics, an 822% increase on Tokyo. The hashtag #Paris2024, meanwhile, garnered over 526,700 posts. The two biggest viral stars of these Olympics are Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, aka Muffin Man, and U.S. pommel horse superstar Stephen Nedoroscik.

Christiansen tallied up 83 million video views with his love of chocolate muffins made in the athlete village. The organizing committee said as many 3,000 muffins were eaten daily during the Olympics, although it’s certain Christiansen didn’t eat them all. Nedoroscik, on the other hand, launched the first viral moment when he sparked comparisons with Clark Kent after winning the individual bronze medal on pommel.

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“We’ve also noticed that all of the amazing trends are starting on TikTok. The muffin man, the pin trading, the Turkish pistol shooter, Simone Biles biting down on the metal. These trends are starting on TikTok and we know that we’re then part of pop culture,” said Rollo Goldstaub, Tiktok’s global head of sports partnerships at a festive event held at Team GB showcasing jam-packed live performances by Natasha Bedingfield and Cat Burns.

Bedingfield raised the roof of the Team GB House as she sang “Unwritten,” along with her other hits such as “These Words.” “Unwritten” was prominently featured in “Anyone But You,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, and became viral again 20 years after its initial release. “Unwritten” has been used in over 1 million video creations on Tiktok and has now broken into the Billions club on Spotify.

#NatashaBedingfield raised the roof of Team GB House at #Tiktok's #Olympics event in Paris, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Unwritten which was featured in "Anyone But You' starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell and has since been used in over 1 million video creations! pic.twitter.com/74tRUHQ5BJ

— Elsa Keslassy (@ElsaKeslassy) August 8, 2024

Burns, a double platinum selling artist who was one of TikTok’s Breakthrough Artists in 2022, sang her popular song “Go.” In the last two years, she signed a record deal with Since 93 / RCA Records and has since collaborated with Sam Smith and has toured with Ed Sheeran.

Goldstaub said he’s also looking forward to the Winter Olympics in Milan next year, and the L.A. Games in 2028.

“The L.A. Games will be incredible. We’re hearing that Tom Cruise is going to be there for the handover. That already shows the stardom that we’ll see in the US for the Olympics,” said the London-based TikTok executive. “There’s so many things to be excited about in the sports space.”

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Reinaldo Massengill

Update: 2024-09-06

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