The Tokyo Olympics have witnessed a surge in Indian interest, with Neeraj Chopra’s silver medal and the hockey team’s bronze-medal triumph driving a massive spike in traffic to the Paris Olympics website and app.
Christian Klaue, the International Olympic Committee’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Director, revealed that 273 million users have visited the Olympic website and app, with India contributing the highest number of visitors. This surge is attributed to the success of Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s first-ever Olympic medal in javelin throw, and the hockey team, which secured its second consecutive bronze medal.
“Olympics Web & App has reached 273 million users for Paris 2024, with the highest number of users from India during these Games yesterday (Thursday), driven by their 4th and 5th medals from Neeraj Chopra and the Men’s hockey team,” Klaue wrote on Twitter.
Neeraj Chopra, India’s golden boy, narrowly missed out on defending his Olympic title, settling for silver behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. The men’s hockey team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, made history by winning back-to-back bronze medals at the Games for the first time in 52 years, with the captain scoring both goals in the 2-1 victory over Spain.
Klaue also highlighted the success of the dedicated WhatsApp channels launched by the Olympics, which have garnered over five million followers since their inception last month. “The Olympics launched two dedicated WhatsApp channels in July, quickly gaining 5 million followers, making it the fastest-growing channel for the Olympics after Instagram and TikTok during this period,” he said.
Additionally, augmented reality lenses across the Olympics and Snapchat apps have been opened over half a billion times, setting a new record for AR feature usage in the Olympics app.
This surge in Indian interest bodes well for the Paris Olympics in 2024, as it indicates a growing enthusiasm for the Games and a desire to witness Indian athletes achieve success on the world stage.
