WELCOME TO THE 'TIKTOK GAMES'

Little-known Olympians shoot to internet fame after going viral on social media

- Kimberly Kwek

When Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen set off for a training camp 32 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.