Overview

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are the 33rd Summer Olympic Games taking place in Paris, France which began on July 26th, 2024. Before starting, the games received scrutiny and criticism due to political controversies surrounding France, specifically in regards to the 2024 French Parliament Elections as well as the Paris Poop Protest. Amid the games, various moments and athletes gained meme attention and discourse such as Stephen Nedoroscik the Pommel Horse Guy and Kim Yeji the South Korean Pistol Shooter. Also, viral discourse and memes ensued about the Olympic Chocolate Muffins due in large to Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen who posted multiple TikTok videos obsessing over them.

Background

On August 8th, 2021, the closing ceremony took place at the 2020 Summer Tokyo Olympics, during which the Olympic committee flag was taken down and handed over to the French delegate. On that day, a highlight video was uploaded to the official Olympics^[1] YouTube channel, which also included a message from France president Emmanuel Macron and a flyover of the city (shown below).

Anti-Sex Bed Rumor

On May 14th, 2024, the New York Post reported that the so-called Anti-sex beds that debuted at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics would return. However, it has been proven the beds are not designed to dissuade athletes from having sex, and are instead designed with sustainability in mind.

Developments

Snoop Dogg Torch Running

As part of the historic torch running ceremony, in which a flame from Mount Olympus is used to ignite a torch that is then ran to the Olympic site runner-by-runner in a multi-national relay system, the rap artist Snoop Dogg was used as marketing stunt in which he carried the flame for part of the Paris relay, taking place outside the arena and walking down to the cheers of fans before passing it off. On July 26th, 2024, the official NBC Sports^[2] YouTube channel uploaded this part of opening ceremony, where it gained over 600,000 views in one day (shown below).

Opening Ceremony Controversy

On July 26th, 2024, the opening ceremony took place, featuring performances that caused controversy. As part of the opening ceremony, a mock-up of the Last Supper which was painted by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci, took place, in which the different figures present in the painting were replaced by Drag Queens and other LGBTQ+ figures. This caused controversy, as people online began to get angry online about the blasphemous performance, as seen in the X post by @LibertyRockPod^[3] on July 26th, 2024 (shown below).

Notable Athletes

Stephen Nedoroscik

Stephen Nedoroscik, also known as the Pommel Horse Guy, is an American gymnast best known for his pommel horse routine in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Nedoroscik went viral for sitting with his eyes closed for the duration of the competition while wearing glasses until he was finally called for his last and singular event, winning his team their first bronze medal since 2008. Memes about Nedoroscik being a "sleeper agent" and about how his job is "horse" began making the rounds online in late July 2024.

Kim Yeji

Kim Yeji, also known as Kim Ye-ji or Yeji Kim, is a female South Korean sport shooter who participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics. A video of Kim winning gold and breaking a world record at the ISSF World Cup 2024 went viral on Twitter / X amid the 2024 Olympics. Many X users humorously labeled her the "main character" and became infatuated with her look as she became the subject of memes. In the 2024 Olympics, she won silver in the 10m Air Pistol Women's Final, outmatched by her countrywoman Oh Ye Jin. Internet users shared Kim's Olympic press release photos in which she was wearing sports shooting glasses, adding to the discourse about her "aura."

The most "Main Character Energy" I've ever seen in my life.pic.twitter.com/ExuXVxB3VB

— Del Walker 🇵🇸 (@TheCartelDel) July 30, 2024

Henrik Christiansen

Henrik Christiansen is a Norwegian swimmer who participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics and went viral for his TikTok videos about the chocolate muffins at the Olympic Village. His videos inspired memes and discourse, inspiring other Olympic athletes to try and review the chocolate muffins.

Ilona Maher

Ilona Maher is an American rugby player and an Olympic bronze medalist from Burlington, Vermont. She grew popular online in 2024 for her social media presence on TikTok and Instagram, where she routinely shares details about her life and training, as well as jokes and body-positivity content. She is the most-followed rugby player on Instagram with over 2 million followers as of July 2024. Maher has often responded to trolls calling her a "man" and accusing her of being on steroids, with many fans and celebrities coming out in support of her.

Yusuf Dikeç

Yusuf Dikeç is a Turkish Pistol Shooter who participated in the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, winning a silver medal in the Mixed team event. A photo of Dikeç shooting with no specialized eyewear went viral on Twitter / X in late July 2024, with many internet users joking about him looking like a passerby who just happened to pick up the pistol and compete, or calling him a trained hitman sent by Turkey to eviscerate the competition. Dikeç is a retired officer of the Turkish Gendarmerie, a military force in Turkey. Dikeç also drew comparisons to Kim Yeji, a South Korean pistol shooter who was dubbed as having main character energy after photos of her went viral as well.

Ewa Swoboda

Ewa Swoboda, also known as the Tattooed Polish Sprinter, is a Polish sprinter and runner who participated in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics representing Poland's women's track and field team. Ewa Swoboda has tattoos and brown hair that she sports in a ponytail. Swoboda went largely viral on Twitter / X for a viral video of her squatting before a race and correcting her salute for the camera. Some internet users thought that she looked like Abella Danger, the adult content star, and joked about Abella Danger being at the Olympics. After her virality, streamer IShowSpeed invited Swoboda to race him on stream and Swoboda reportedly accepted the invitation.

Related Memes

Olympic Chocolate Muffins

The Olympic Chocolate Muffins, also known as the Olympic Village Chocolate Muffins, refers to a series of viral videos and memes on TikTok and elsewhere about the chocolate muffins at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olympic chocolate muffins were originally popularized by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen who posted multiple videos about his obsession with the muffins to his TikTok account @henrikchristians1 in July 2024. Thereafter, other Olympic athletes tried and reviewed the chocolate muffin. The videos caused viral discourse and memes across social media, inspiring curiosity about the Olympic chocolate muffin recipe. Internet users alleged that the real Olympic chocolate muffin was from the French food supplier Coup de Pates and named "Maxi muffin chocolat intense" on the company's website.

Light Yagami At The Olympics

Light Yagami At The Olympics refers to a parody image in which Japanese football coach Hajime Moriyasu is labeled "Light Yagami" and pictured writing in a notebook, referencing the protagonist of the anime and manga series Death Note. The image convinced some online that Japan actually had a coach named Light Yagami during the 2024 Summer Olympics, leading fact-checkers to clarify that the image was not legitimate. In late July 2024 during the Olympic games, the image of Hajime Moriyasu labeled "Light Yagami" was notably used in a number of memes on various platforms.

Search Interest

External References