Behind the scenes at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Athletes’ social media experiences are breaking new ground

The 2024 Paris Olympics was one of the most eagerly awaited editions of the world’s biggest sporting event, especially because it took place in Paris, the City of Light.

Those who were able to attend in person enjoyed the games and the city up close, but those who weren’t also felt a connection to Paris thanks to the power of social media, which helps to bring athletes into the spotlight, shows behind-the-scenes aspects and opens up opportunities for social media marketing services.

For the first time in Olympic history, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued two separate guidelines regarding social media use: one for athletes and another for accredited individuals made up of delegation members, committees, volunteers, and others. These rules were implemented for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Social media guidelines during the 2024 Paris Olympics
The initiative was adopted in response to feedback from athletes from previous Games, with the goal of providing more opportunities for athletes, since creating content during the Games can increase their visibility.

Under the new guidelines, athletes can showcase daily life in the Olympic Village, introduce themselves and share their perspectives on the Games and, why not, on the city of Paris itself. The IOC allowed accredited athletes to photograph or record:

The opening and closing ceremonies and/or at Champions Park
The Olympic Village
Competition venues up to one hour before the start of the competition and after leaving the mixed zone/anti-doping control station
Training locations and practice areas

This ruling remained in effect until the official closing of the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 13, when the Olympic Village was also closed.

It all began in Tokyo
Although the new IOC social media guidelines made a big splash at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the exposure of athletes on social media during the Games is nothing new.

At the last Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2020 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was through social media that the public showed their support for athletes. Due to the circumstances, it was the first time in its history the Games occurred without spectators and with empty stands.

Despite this, it was possible to follow the athletes’ routines through their social media accounts. Just like in Paris, athletes shared behind-the-scenes moments and their experiences in the Olympic Village, including interactions with their roommates and local customs.

Former Brazilian Men’s Volleyball player Douglas Souza was one of those who showcased the curiosities surrounding the Olympic Village as well as his training on Instagram. One of his most famous videos showed the infamous bed’s resistance. His videos went viral and helped bring a distant audience closer. Douglas’s case is just one among thousands of athletes who did the same.

Thanks to the videos recorded by athletes during the Paris 2024 Olympics, we gained access to behind-the-scenes content and personal accounts from athletes, reaching places where official media rarely strays.

We saw athletes commenting on the Olympic Village facilities, issues with food, heat, transportation services, as well as the water quality of the Seine River, where aquatic events take place.

On the contrary, however, in a positive light, we also witnessed athletes documenting moments of focus, training, interaction and celebration with their roommates and even other delegations.

The TikTok Olympic games
It can be said that the social media boom at the Paris 2024 Olympics stemmed from its consistent use in Tokyo. It’s worth noting that one of the most popular social media platforms among athletes, TikTok, gained considerable popularity in 2020. Since then, adoption of the platform has only increased, and so its presence among athletes.

Observing this trend, TikTok established a partnership with nine Brazilian sports federations during the Paris 2024 Olympics. With support from the news portal Olimpíada Todo Dia, TikTok provided assistance in producing exclusive content on sports and the lives of athletes, including rules, curiosities, behind-the-scenes content and interviews.

According to the Chinese social media platform, the initiative aims to help Brazilian federations and athletes share their journeys, connect with new audiences and grow their fan base.

The Brazilian sports federations involved in this action include those relating to athletics, basketball, canoeing, aquatic sports, gymnastics, judo, tennis, volleyball and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. It’s also worth remembering that the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 begin on August 28.

Doors are open for sports marketing
Athlete exposure on social media during the 2024 Paris Olympics, or any major sports events, can open doors for sports social media marketing. This can be a good option to supplement athletes’ income or even invest in their careers, especially in countries without sufficient funding for athletes.

In Brazil, athletes — not only those participating in the Olympics — benefit from the Bolsa Atleta government incentive program, but this amount is still modest compared to those of Olympic athletes. The Sports Incentive Law is another way of promoting sport through corporate participation.

However, with the increasing presence of athletes on social media platforms, sports marketing emerges as a quicker way of obtaining financial resources, potentially at a higher value than what the government has to offer.

Sports marketing is a segment of marketing that involves the promotion of sports products, services, or brands. In this context, partnerships with athletes, teams and sports events help increase brand recognition, and, depending on the brand’s size, the athlete may become more well-known.

Sports marketing in Brazil is still primarily known for its partnerships involving soccer clubs and their players with companies. However, when it comes to Olympic athletes, this movement has only gained momentum more recently, mostly due to the rise of star gymnast Rebeca Andrade.

Whether it be through sponsorships for the club where Rebeca trains or for the athlete herself, through advertisements on her social media or on television, Rebeca Andrade has become a recognizable face, both in Brazil and worldwide.

Consequently, this has allowed her to gain access to more resources to invest in her sports career. The same is soon expected to happen with fellow Brazilian gymnast Júlia Soares, who became known to the Brazilian public only at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Due to her newfound fame, brands and companies alike are expected to sponsor or propose partnerships with her.

Feeling closer to our idols
The increasing participation of athletes on social media — especially during the 2024 Paris Olympics — which is often distant from our reality and routine, has brought us ever closer to the cultural nuances surrounding Parisian dwellings, courts, streets and arenas.

In addition to becoming more well-known, as well as showcasing the behind-the-scenes of a major Olympic event, athletes’ social media presence appears to have planted a seed, and consequently, nurtures a feeling that grows stronger every four years: the sense of support and cheering!

It’s a well-known fact that the more we know someone, the more we root for them and want them to succeed. The more Instagram stories you see from that athlete representing your country, the more you’ll cheer for them — fact.

With the new social media guidelines established by the IOC, athletes’ exposure during the 2024 Paris Olympics brings us not only closer to Paris, but also to the athletes themselves. Moreover, it has become an innovative way of following the Olympic Games up close through the eyes of those living the world’s biggest sporting event first hand.

The article Behind the scenes at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Athletes’ social media experiences are breaking new ground first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.