With rules slightly eased, Canadian Olympians are sharing journeys on social media

PARIS — Open up any social media app and you’ll see Canadian athletes sharing their Olympic journeys, from behind-the-scenes photos with teammates to silly fashion shows featuring their official team kit.

This year, a further easing of the once-ironclad rules around social media means athletes can use their platforms a little more freely, whether to connect with fans or draw sponsors' eyes.

Road cyclist Alison Jackson is one of the people who is clearly having fun. Recent videos on her Instagram account show her not only racing through Paris but also perching atop a set of Olympic rings, re-enacting a scene from the movie "Titanic" during the opening ceremony on the Seine, and professing her undying love for Paris baguettes and croissants.

Jackson said she's naturally an entertainer who loves making people laugh, but there's also a more serious side to her engagement.

"Female athletes have to promote themselves more, especially in a sport where there’s a disparity between men’s and women’s," said Jackson. She said that for a long time, male cyclists dominated TV coverage, while the women's side "had to have our own Twitter (now X) feed of how the races were going."

As an athlete in a Eurocentric sport, she says she can also use her platform to help Canadians understand cycling, and hopefully fall in love with it.

"What's cool about the Olympics is people will watch sports they’ve never watched before," she said. "Everyone can connect with riding a bike, because everyone has ridden a bike."

For Finlay Knox, a member of the men's swimming team, social media is a way to highlight successes that might otherwise be overlooked.

Teammates like quadruple medallist Summer McIntosh get the bulk of the publicity, leaving it up to him to emphasize performances he's proud of, including swimming relay legs and making the final of the 200-metre individual medley.

"We’re in a sport where we don’t have millions of eyes and millions and millions of dollars thrown at us," he said. "So the only way for us to get recognized is through social media and being able to share my journey."

While he said he was originally shy about social media, Knox says he's now trying to build a following. "The goal is to have at least one kid be inspired by my story," he said.

Changes to the rules means athletes are a little freer in what they post. This year, competitors can post audio and video recordings of up to two minutes from training and competition venues, opening and closing ceremonies and the Olympic Village.

Visitors to Instagram can therefore watch Canadian athletes celebrating teammate Ethan Katzberg's gold-medal hammer throw performance from an athlete's lounge -- posted by race walker Evan Dunfee -- or watch diver Caeli McKay bounce on the infamous cardboard beds.

As in Tokyo, athletes can make posts thanking their personal sponsors -- although they cannot include any Olympic symbols, venues or official team uniforms.

The rules, however, remain tight. Rule 40 of the IOC's Olympic charter ensures market exclusivity to companies who pony up hundreds of millions of dollars to have their brand in the Olympic Games.

The rules prevent athletes from sharing competition footage, and put strict restrictions around appearing in ads for companies that aren't official Olympic partners. They also can't use AI-generated images.

Swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey says athletes understand the need to respect the sponsors of the Olympics, "but I think it’s moving in the direction that there’s more wiggle room to it, so that’s good," she said.

While she was too busy during the first week of the Olympics to post often, she's generally a fan of social media. "I love sharing my world because it’s not just about swimming," she said.

Other athletes, such as swimmer Kelsey Wog and boxer Wyatt Sanford, say they aren't big on social media, preferring to keep their private lives private.

But it's clear there can be advantages for those who want to share -- including financial ones.

Karine Delage of Karyzma Agency, who represents Harvey among others, describes the Olympics as "game time" -- and she's not talking about the competition.

She said athletes, especially from less-followed sports, can benefit from the extra eyes on them during the Olympics to build up their brands, leading to future sponsors or paid gigs.

"We need to remember how those athletes don't get paid a million dollars and they need to create their own branding and their own image because whatever they do at the Olympics is great, but what's after?" she said in a phone interview.

She said the most successful social media feeds go beyond sports results to show who the athlete is as a person. As an example, an athlete who showcases their love of cooking could eventually go on to work with lifestyle brands, she said.

Most athletes create and film their own content, she said, though they may have team members helping them develop a strategy -- or occasionally reminding them to log off to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

"Interviews are great, but you don't want to pitch yourself to every single person in the world," she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press