Ever since this year’s Olympics kicked off, we’ve been glued to our TVs, tuning in to all the action. Meanwhile, in Rio, let’s just say that the athletes have been getting physical off-camera as well. Sure, we’re all aware of the Olympic Village stories, where athletes competing for the gold medal have engaged in a fair amount of hookups. However, it looks like the Olympians are also resorting to dating apps like Tinder to get their fix.
According to reports, Tinder usage has increased dramatically since the Rio games started. “The Olympic Games have started and Tinder use has skyrocketed in Rio de Janeiro,” says Rosette Pambakian, the vice president of global communications and branding for Tinder. In fact, data indicates that profile matches have increased to a whopping 129 percent, while swipes have also increased. “We expect this trend to continue throughout the Games,” Rosette adds.
Moreover, the Olympians seem to favor apps like Tinder because they make it simpler to find dates and hookups. “Many of the athletes prefer to meet other athletes on Tinder and other dating apps because that’s easier, and then they do group dates with other athlete friends,” a source tells E! News. “It’s pretty intense…some athletes wait until after their competition [to party], and then others have hookups between practices because they say sex actually helps them reach for the gold.”
Curious to know which Olympians have joined Tinder? Thanks to an Instagram account titled sportsswipe, you can find out exactly which athletes are looking to swipe right. In the past, Ryan Lochte has admitted to having an account and using it to chat with women, but he certainly isn’t the only one.
Through some serious snooping, sportsswipe has found a variety of athletes on Tinder, including swimmers, gymnasts, cyclists and runners.
Given the amount of gorgeous athletes competing in this year’s Olympics, we can’t say we’re surprised by this discovery. If we were in Rio right now, we’d probably be on Tinder quite frequently TBH.