Tokyo 2020 Olympics trends on Facebook and Instagram

As the Tokyo Olympics came to a close with India winning 7 medals in its highest ever Olympics tally, here is a round-up of the Games with key trends and data from the date July 23 – Aug 8, 2021, on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook

Loudest countries engaging about the Olympics over the course of the Games:

(Ranked by number of people talking about Olympics on Facebook) 

1. India
2. United States
3. Brazil
4. Philippines
5. Mexico

Most mentioned sports on Facebook over the course of the Games (globally):

1. Track and Field
2. Gymnastics
3. Rowing
4. Boxing
5. Swimming

Most mentioned athletes on Facebook over the course of the Games (globally):

1. Simone Biles
2. Neeraj Chopra
3. Hidilyn Diaz
4. Suni Lee
5. Tom Daley

Top Emojis on Facebook over the course of the Games (globally):

1. RED_HEART
2. CLAPPING_HANDS_SIGN
3. FACE_WITH_TEARS_OF_JOY

Days with the most Olympic-related conversation on Facebook:

There was plenty to talk about over the course of the Games, but the top three days that had the most Olympics conversation globally on Facebook were the following:

1. Saturday, Aug 7th (Neeraj Chopra wins gold for India, Team USA basketball wins gold)
2. Wednesday, July 28th (the day after Simone Biles withdraws from the gymnastics team competition)
3. Monday, Aug 2nd (Indonesia’s Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu win gold in badminton)

Global athlete Facebook post that drove the most interactions over the course of the Games:

• Tai Tzu Ying’s post thanking everyone for their support while she competed in Tokyo is the Facebook post from an athlete that drove the most interactions over the course of the Games, with more than 1.3 million interactions. 

Instagram

• Athletes gained more than 75 million followers on Instagram over the course of the Games
• Athletes drove more than 410 million interactions on Instagram over the course of the Games
• Athletes posted more than 300,000 stories on Instagram over the course of the Games

These Indian athletes have been the biggest winners on Instagram, gaining the most number of followers (Since the start of the Olympics)

1. Neeraj Chopra, +2870814
2. PV Sindhu, +702778
3. MC Mary Kom, +270104

Most mentioned athletes on Instagram over the course of the Games (globally):

1. Neeraj Chopra (Track and Field, India) / @neeraj____chopra
2. Simone Biles (Gymnastics, USA) / @simonebiles
3. Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding, Brazil) / @rayssalealsk8
4. Greysia Polii (Badminton, Indonesia) / @greyspolii
5. Apriyani Rahayu (Badminton, Indonesia) / @r.apriyanig

Athletes who gained the most Instagram followers over the course of the Games (globally):

1. Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding, Brazil) – 5.8 million (+667% increase) 
2. Neeraj Chopra (Track and Field, India) – 2.6 million (+1900% increase)  
3. Simone Biles (Gymnastics, USA) – 2.3 million (+53% increase) 
4. Rebeca Andrade (Gymnastics, Brazil) – 2.1 million (+868% increase)
5. Italo Ferreira (Surfing, Brazil) – 1.8 million (+175% increase)
6. Valentina Acosta Giraldo (Archery, Colombia) – 1.6 million (+623% increase) 
7. Douglas Souza (Volleyball, Brazil) – 1.4 million (+78% increase) 
8. Tom Daley (Diving, Great Britain) – 1.259 million (+60% increase)
9. Leticia Bufoni (Skateboarding, Brazil) – 1.249 million (+41% increase) 
10. Sunisa Lee (Gymnastics, USA) – 1.242 million (+511% increase)

Athletes who drove the most interactions on Instagram during the Games (globally):

1. Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding, Brazil) – 18.44 million
2. Simone Biles (Gymnastics, USA) – 17.9 million
3. Dani Alves (Football, Brazil) – 12.59 million
4. Rebeca Andrade (Gymnastics, Brazil) – 10.33 million
5. Italo Ferreira (Surfing, Brazil) – 7.97 million
6. Douglas Souza (Football, Brazil) – 7.67 million
7. Suni Lee (Gymnastics, USA) – 6.3 million
8. Luka Doncic (Basketball, Slovenia) – 4.84 million
9. Tai Tzu-Ying (Badminton, Taiwan) – 4.72 million
10. Gabriel Medina (Surfing, Brazil) – 4.70 million

Most-viewed Instagram video by an athlete:

• Rayssa Leal’s video of her skateboarding journey is the most-liked video from an athlete over the course of the Games, with more than 11 million views. 

Most-played Olympic-related Reels during the Games (globally):  

* Data as of Aug. 8 at 8am PT, covering the duration of the Games (July 23-Aug. 8).