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| Kaleigh WernerNew York Published on https://www.independent.co.uk/ Olympic athlete Ilona Maher reveals dating culture amongst Paris 2024 competitors (TikTok/@ilonamaher) |
The 2024 Olympic athletes are not just competing for medals but also catching each other's eye in the City of Light. As teams from around the world gather in Paris ahead of the July 26 opening ceremony, the atmosphere is charged with both rivalry and romance—at least according to Team USA rugby sevens player Ilona Maher.
On July 22, Maher took to TikTok to share a behind-the-scenes look at the dating scene from the Olympic headquarters in Paris. Sitting beside her 29-year-old teammate Naya Tapper, Maher recounted Tapper’s successful attempt at connecting with another athlete.
Drawing inspiration from the reality dating show Love Island, Maher joked, “Hey guys, there’s already success in the villa.” She added, “Naya got a number.” The two were filmed side-by-side in what appeared to be the Olympic Village cafeteria, where Maher pointed out Tapper’s wide-eyed, almost startled expression. Tapper quickly clarified that she didn’t get a phone number but managed to snag the athlete’s social media handle instead.
“Well, she got an Insta,” Maher confessed, explaining that Tapper had made strong eye contact with the athlete, which led him to approach her. Maher couldn’t help but giggle as she encouraged others to use the power of “eye contact” to attract potential love interests. “The power she has,” Maher noted. “Power. Feminine wiles over here she’s using.”
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Tapper’s face-to-face interaction marks a shift from the dating culture at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was largely online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the Tokyo Games, athletes were confined to the Olympic Village, leading them to rely on dating apps for connections.
Vice journalist Hanako Montgomery confirmed this, noting that many Olympic athletes in Tokyo were active on dating apps during the delayed 2021 Games. “I was surprised to find just how many Olympic-related people there were on the apps. There were engineers, volunteers, journalists, athletes, and technicians, all for the Tokyo Games,” Montgomery wrote in a July 30, 2021, article.
Montgomery shared that Can Akkuzu, a French table tennis player, was using the app to “meet new people from the village, see how it goes,” reflecting the app-based dating trend at that time.
This year, however, with fewer restrictions, athletes may pursue romantic interests in person or continue using dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, which generate matches based on proximity. However, Gen Z Olympians might be less inclined to use dating apps. According to a 2023 Statista Survey, only 26 percent of dating app users are from Gen Z, while 61 percent are aged 30 to 49. Findings from Hinge’s 2024 Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise report suggest that Gen Z’s apprehension to pursue relationships stems from a fear of rejection.