Update: Not only are quite a few Rio Olympians on Tinder, they're also getting in lots of swiping action at the Olympic Village. In an interview with The Associated Press, Tinder spokeswoman Rosette Pambakian said that matches in the Olympic Village, where most athletes live and eat during the games, were up by 129% over the weekend. Whether or not any of these matches blossom into gold-medal worthy romances remains to be seen.
This article was originally published on August 8, 2016.
If you think that celebrities are exempt from a dating world dominated by swiping left and right and inventing witty opening messages, you are mistaken.
First, Zac Efron shocked the world when he revealed that he had a Tinder account (and no one matched with him). And now, there's an Instagram account with the sole purpose of showing which pro athletes have Tinder and Bumble profiles.
@Sportsswipe, also known as "Tinder Athletes," says that all images on its account were taken directly from Tinder and Bumble — and they do look convincingly real. (The account also links out to a Rio-specific account called @Rioswipe, which covers Tinder in the Rio Olympic Athlete Village.)
@Sportsswipe, also known as "Tinder Athletes," says that all images on its account were taken directly from Tinder and Bumble — and they do look convincingly real. (The account also links out to a Rio-specific account called @Rioswipe, which covers Tinder in the Rio Olympic Athlete Village.)
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The accounts raise some inevitable questions. First, when do these world-class athletes have time to swipe and send messages back and forth? And second, is it a breach of privacy for an Instagram account to expose their profiles?
That second question is one that will likely remain contested. On the one hand, these athletes deserve their privacy, even if their accounts do exist on a public app. At the same time, maybe Sportsswipe will lead to some Olympic matches made in heaven.
Either way, it's hard to believe that Olympians have trouble getting a date. And yes, for anyone wondering, Ryan Lochte does have a verified Tinder account.