This article was originally shared with our Media Intelligence email subscribers.
Want to be the first one to get our latest and exclusive insights, reports, and media analysis?
Subscribe to our Media Intelligence email newsletter, and let us set up some regular inbox meet-ups!
We can all agree that the 2024 Paris Olympics have been nothing but… eventful. We witnessed a lot of controversy that made our eyebrows shoot up, but we also could not help but “awwwwww” at the multiple romantic displays between the athletes and their significant others.
The Olympics were held in the city of love, after all.🗼♥️
So much was going on, which is why we decided to share a quick media analysis of the stories that generated the most engagement on social media in August.
We will highlight the feel-good stories, the controversial happenings, and, most importantly, the misinformation.
If you follow us on LinkedIn, you probably already read our July newsletter in which we focused on everything that went wrong at the Paris Olympics in July. If you have not read it yet, make sure to do so to get the full coverage of the top social media stories surrounding the 2024 Olympics.
Before we start, we would like to thank Kiril Shishkov – a Subject Matter Expert in A Data Pro’s Media Intelligence desk with 8+ years experience in media monitoring and analysis – for doing a deep dive into over 65.4 million mentions so we could bring you these stories!
Without further ado, here we go:
The Good
Yusuf Dikec
Turkish Olympic shooter Yusuf Dikec went viral for his unorthodox shooting style, which won him silver. Dikec instantly became popular across the globe, seeing him become the focal point of numerous memes. In Japan, he was trending for having a shooting style that was likened to that of a popular anime character.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg was a torch bearer at the Paris Olympics and received extensive attention on X, with mentions around him spiking particularly during the opening and closing ceremonies. His outfits and good “vibes” were one of the major feel-good stories of the Olympics.
Kim Yeji
We mentioned her briefly in our LinkedIn newsletter last month, but South Korean shooter Kim Yeji also made the rounds, as X users shared old videos of her nonchalant reaction to winning gold in Baku, along with new photos of her in the Olympics. Some users also pointed out that she brought her daughter’s elephant doll with her and many users shared their fan art of her.
Huang Yaqiong BF proposes
People on X shared the story of Olympic badminton champion Huang Yaqiong, whose boyfriend, who is also a male badminton player, Liu Yuchen, proposed to her moments after she won the gold medal. Most users commended Yuchen for his romantic and wholesome gesture, but some argued that if not discussed prior, it was not a good idea to overshadow Yaquiong’s victory in such a manner.
Peacock Coverage
Numerous X users praised Peacock for providing the most accessible viewing experience of the Olympics to date, with users praising Gold Zone in particular and host Scott Hanson. Some pointed out that they felt like streaming technology elevated their viewing experience of sports, saying that it was a perfect fit for the event.
This next story falls a bit in the grey area. Is it good? Is it bad? You be the judge.
Anthony Ammirati
French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati went viral after knocking over the pole with his… manhood. This sparked numerous jokes and memes, with some pointing out that his Instagram followers shot up immediately after the incident, while others felt that such jokes were distasteful and objectifying and did not take Ammirati’s disappointment with his failed attempt into account.
Interested in receiving a timely media analysis about your brand, competitors, and industry? Talk to our Media Intelligence experts today!
The Bad
João Chianca
The story of Brazilian surfer João Chianca, who was allegedly banned by the Olympics from using a surfboard with the image of Jesus, was shared thousands of times on Twitter, as people voiced their frustrations that the painting was not authorised at the Olympics because it was a religious symbol and the Games had strict rules on total neutrality. Many found that statement to be untrue, comparing it to the controversy caused by the opening ceremony (covered in our July LinkedIn newsletter).
Ari Ramsey
Rugby bronze medalist Ari Ramsey drew public focus on the failures of the US healthcare system, after she revealed that she was going to as many medical exams as possible because healthcare was free in the Olympic village. Users criticised the US healthcare policy, but also suggested that healthcare in Europe was not 100% free and came with significantly longer waiting times.
Raygun
Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s performance at the Olympics was mocked by a lot of social media users, inspiring many memes and jokes. Some questioned how she was even allowed to participate in the breakdancing event, while others thought that her performance might be the reason why breakdancing could be dropped from the 2028 Olympics (and it was, in fact, dropped), because her dancing went viral, causing top performers to go unnoticed by the mass public. There were also users who pointed to the fact that she was a university professor, questioning whether this was an example of cultural appropriation and entitlement and bringing into doubt the public funding received by universities.
The Misinformation
In the first week of August, one of the biggest conversation divers surrounding the Paris Olympics was the gender of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. The controversy started before the fight when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was criticised for permitting Khelif and Lin Yu‑ting of Taiwan to compete in the women’s category at these Games.
The reason?
Back in 2023, Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, were disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA). These tests reportedly revealed elevated testosterone levels.
In Khelif’s case, the situation further escalated after a match in which her Italian competitor, Angela Carini, forfeited their fight in just 46 seconds and exited the ring in tears. She was reported saying “I have never felt a punch like this.”
Following this development, many people, including high-profile individuals such as Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, took to social media to criticise the Paris Olympics committee for allowing a transgender person to compete against women, falsely accusing Khelif of having transitioned from male to female.
Oli London shared J.K.Rowlings tweet and further fueled the misinformation about Khelif’s gender by adding that she was “biologically male”. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, was quoted as saying that athletes who have “male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions.” Meloni also tweeted a photo with Angela Carini, writing that one day she will earn what she deserves in a “fair” competition.
Conservative US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted: “HE is a fraud, an imposter, and a liar” about Khelif, using the situation to fuel her political agenda by writing that Democrats support men competing against women. Ohio Senator J. D. Vance took a similar approach by mentioning Kamala Harris in his post.
As posts by high-profile individuals multiplied, the misinformation about Khelif’s gender snowballed, creating an avalanche of hate speech against the Algerian boxer on social media. Many pitied the Italian boxer, writing that she had been “cheated and snubbed” from the competition by a man after years of training.
The verbal abuse online led Khelif’s father to do an interview with Reuters and share childhood photos of his daughter to prove that she was assigned female at birth. In addition, IOC President Thomas Bach attended a news briefing in which he stated that the “hate speech” directed at the two boxers was “totally unacceptable.”
Luckily for Khelif, many social media users came to her defence and were outraged with the use of derogatory language and slurs against her. They demanded apologies from those responsible, especially celebrities who had shared misinformation on their platforms with large social media followings.
It was not long before video edits in support of Khelif surfaced on social media, notably TikTok, with many celebrating her winning the gold medal as well as her decision to file a legal complaint in Paris for online harassment, in what her lawyer described as “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” against Khelif.
This story is particularly important because it leads us to a very important question:
How can you spot misinformation and stop it from damaging your reputation?
Misinformation is like stubborn weeds in a garden—no matter how often you pluck them out, they always find a way to return. With so many people posting on the internet, avoiding misinformation in this digital space demands strong media literacy skills and the ability to research and verify information.
But how much can we trust people to research on their own?
As we saw in the case of the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, not much. It ultimately falls on brands to stay vigilant about what is being said about them online and react on time by sharing the truth.
While you might not be able to stop misinformation (or even worse – disinformation) from appearing about your brand online, a timely media analysis can help you identify and address misinformation before it takes root, allowing you to take swift, effective action to minimise its impact.
If you ever find yourself overwhelmed and in need of expert guidance to navigate the complex world of online narratives, check out A Data Pro’s Media Intelligence Solutions.
