- The 2024 Summer Olympics will begin in Paris on July 26.
- Elite athletes are sharing their daily lives and intense training routines on TikTok.
- US Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher has 1.1 million followers on the platform.
The 2024 Summer Olympics are just around the corner, and as elite athletes polish their routines and compete in final qualifiers, they’re taking fans along for the ride on TikTok.
The platform is a popular choice for sharing training schedules, daily routines, skits with teammates, and brand partnerships.
Such partnerships can play a key role in funding their Olympic lifestyles, especially in niche sports like synchronized swimming or volleyball, which don’t garner the same attention as other sports like soccer or basketball.
In fact, Business Insider reported in 2021 that a global study of 500 elite athletes found that nearly 60% of them did not consider themselves financially stable.
Since sponsorships are largely dependent on an athlete’s popularity and performance, TikTok and other social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube have become important, albeit necessary, ways for athletes to gain a notable following and increase their chances to collaborate with major brands like L’Oréal, Amazon, Delta, and Brooks Running.
Ahead of final team announcements for the 2024 Olympics, here are 11 elite athletes who are prepared to dominate Paris and your For You Page this summer.
All follower counts were accurate as of June 20, 2024.