Team USA star documenting harsh reality of being on Tinder and looking for love in Paris Olympic Village goes viral
Around 300,000 free condoms are reportedly available to athletes staying in the Paris Olympic Village.
That works out at almost two per athlete for every day of the 2024 Games.
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But according to Team USA rower Emily Delleman, many of those freebies will be going unopened due to the relatively dire Tinder scene going on at the giant €2billion (£1.7billion) complex located in the north of Paris.
Delleman, who is part of the US women's quadruple scull team, has gone viral on TikTok recently after discussing her experience on dating apps while staying the Olympic Village.
The 26-year-old said she was inspired to join Tinder by other Olympians who suggested it could be a hotbed of activity for athletic singletons.
"I'm in the Olympic Village right now and so far most things have exceeded my expectations," Delleman says in a viral TikTok video.
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"The food, the vibe, the atmosphere... it's crazy. Everything but this... The other day I was lying on my cardboard bed, recovering like it's my job, because it is.
"And I was browsing TikTok and I saw girls saying "hey, change your geolocation to the Olympic Village, you want some first division 'babies'?" and I was like "oh my god, genius. You need to make the most of this like you did when you were in Rome.""
The Team USA rower decided to re-download the Tinder app after being sold on a feature that would match her with other athletes.
However, she was disappointed to discover that very few Olympians in the village were actually using the app.
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"So I start sailing and I don't see any Olympic athletes," she revealed.
"I thought okay, my setup must be weird. No. I'm within a mile radius and so far I think I've seen a total of two other Olympic athletes."
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She went on: "I went in with the expectation of finding some of my future relationships, but unfortunately, I guess we're looking for other forms of entertainment and that's why you now find me on TikTok.
Many fans wanted an update on the situation and if Delleman had found a match yet.
Tinder’s TikTok account replied in the comments, “Someone tag me in part 2.”
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"Girl don’t scroll on tinder, just go walk around the village and find them IN PERSONNNNN," said another.
"It’s still early girl. Wait until people stop competing. It will get lit,"; another added.
The romantic goings on in numerous Olympic Villages over the years has become the stuff of legend, despite rumours the cardboard 'anti-sex' beds provided are designed to deter any extra-curricular activities.
The assumption has also been that cramming a load of super fit singletons into a relatively condensed complex is bound to result in copious amounts of hanky-panky.
While there have been various X-rated scandals down the years, the recent reality has been decidedly more PG than Rated R.
COVID-19 royally scuppered athletes' dating plans in the Tokyo Olympic Village as there was an unofficial “intimacy ban”in place.
Despite the ban, organizers still ordered 160,000 condoms to be handed out, while one anonymous athlete remarked that the Tinder scene was still booming.
"By the time my competition was over, I had only one thing on my mind — to hook up and release this pent up energy," they .
"It's crazy in the Village. Athletes download Tinder just for those two weeks and set their location to the few [miles] radius of the Olympic Village, and both men and women are always on the lookout for a good catch.
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Laurent Michaud, director of the Paris village, revealed that the intimacy ban that had been in place for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had been lifted for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, the 'hookup Olympics' are seemingly yet to take off. Thankfully for Delleman, there's still plenty of time.
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