The world’s attention will turn to Tokyo in the coming days with the Games getting underway on Friday, July 23. Before, during and after the big event, Twitter will feature premium content, real-time reactions and the best conversation as fans worldwide cheer on top athletes from across the planet.
On the road to Tokyo, here are the sports and athletes that have been driving the most conversation in 2021 Olympic conversations on Twitter. This reflects all Tweets sent globally between January 1, 2021 and July 15, 2021.
Sports
1. Soccer
2. Basketball
3. Tennis
4. Swimming
5. Baseball
Athletes
1. Rikako Ikee (@rikakoikee) – Swimming, Japan
2. Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) – Gymnastics, USA
3. Naomi Osaka (@naomiosaka) – Tennis, Japan
4. Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) – Tennis, Japan
5. Kohei Uchimura (@kohei198913) – Gymnastics, Japan
Aside top Tweets from partners, teams and talent, Twitter will also offer a deep roster of features to help get the most out of the event this summer. Here’s a look at what to expect.
#Olympics & Country Emojis: Fans worldwide can use the official Olympics Twitter emoji throughout the Games. The emoji will unlock when you Tweet #Olympics and related hashtags in more than 30 languages. Twitter will also have emojis for each country competing, unlocked when you Tweet three-character country hashtags. Lastly, fans can cheer on the Refugee Olympic Team during the Games by Tweeting #EOR to unlock their team emoji.
#ExpertEngine Experience: Every Olympics people confidently Tweet their “expert” opinions on sports they really don’t know much about. This time we’re turning fans into real experts. Simply by Tweeting #ExpertEngine @Olympics and any sporting event hashtag, such as #basketball or #swimming, fans will automatically receive a video reply teaching them all about that sport. Class is in session.
Explore Tab: When you’re in the Twitter app or on desktop, Explore catches you up on a range of subjects, curated just for you. During the Games, we will have a custom Explore tab that will highlight Event Pages, Partner Moments, Twitter Moments, and select Topics, and Lists. This will be an amazing resource to help find the best content and conversation from the Games.
Twitter Topics: Have a favourite sports, team or athlete? Our team has created a series of custom Topics for the Games that will keep your timeline popular with top Tweets and content. You can also see Topics in search results when they’re related to searches you make, making them a great way to stay on top of what’s happening in Tokyo.
Event Pages by Sport and by Country: Across all sports, these custom Event Pages will feature top Tweets from trusted accounts. You will be able to follow the action and reactions as they happen for the marquee events and top games. We will also have custom Event Pages dedicated to different countries. These will be home to top Tweets which capture that country’s experience.
Make no mistake, Twitter will be the roar of the crowd in the coming weeks and where sports fans everywhere will be coming for the latest content and conversation. Stay close to Twitter to learn what’s happening in Twitter and keep an eye on this blog for an update on the biggest trends, topics and talent from the Games.
