The Rio 2016 Olympic Games begin this Saturday with the #OpeningCeremony at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and fans around the world can stay close to all of the action on Twitter, Vine and Periscope. Here’s your how-to-follow guide.
Twitter Emojis and key accounts
The best way to stay close to the Olympics conversation on Twitter is by following the official hashtag, #Rio2016, and these official accounts:
And starting today, fans across the globe can share their passion for their favorite teams on Twitter with 207 team emojis. Tweeting with the three-letter country code hashtag (i.e. #IND for India) will trigger flag emojis for every team, including the Refugee Olympic Team (#ROT). All emojis will be available in the coming days.
Fans can also trigger over 50 Olympics and sports emojis on Twitter:
The hashtags that trigger the emojis will be available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The hashtags that trigger sports emojis, as well as #Rio2016 and #Olympics, are also available in Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. All emojis will be available in the coming days.
Athletes helped spread the emoji message today:
Periscope and Vine
Periscope and Vine will bring fans closer to the Games as well. Periscope will have a featured channel with Olympics-related content. Vine will also feature Olympics-related content in the Explore section on Vine’s mobile apps, and when people double-tap a Vine from @Olympics and various team accounts, they’ll find an Olympic Flame instead of a heart.
Rio
Fans in Rio will also feel the Olympic spirit through Twitter. Tweets from all over the world will be projected live on Rio’s aqueduct Arcos da Lapa.
Additionally, a customized tour bus called ‘Twitter Buzz’ will be displaying live Tweets and Periscope broadcasts through its windows in routes around the city, offering free wi-fi to enhance the fan experience.
Twitter Data
Ahead of the Games, the conversation on Twitter has heated up all summer long. These are the countries that have seen fans Tweet the most about the Olympics over the past two months:
Here are the most mentioned and anticipated Olympic sports on Twitter:
And these were the most mentioned athletes on Twitter:
Fans of Team India at the Olympics can also show their support by Tweeting #KheloIndia to @IndiaSports to change their Twitter profile picture with the India flag colours for the Olympics.
Another great way to join the conversation on Twitter is to follow the teams and athletes going to Rio. This list has all the Indian athletes heading to Rio that are on Twitter. For the latest from Team India, follow @IndiaSports and @IndianOlympians.
If you’re looking for a more global view, this list has all the team accounts going to Rio, while this list will connect with you the athletes. Also, tap the Connect tab on Twitter for iOS or Android to see even more Olympics related accounts to follow.
As the big day gets closer and anticipation builds for the Opening Ceremony, Indian athletes have been eagerly Tweeting their excitement as they arrive in Rio for what they hope will be a golden two weeks.
Did someone say … cookies?
X and its partners use cookies to provide you with a better, safer and
faster service and to support our business. Some cookies are necessary to use
our services, improve our services, and make sure they work properly.
Show more about your choices.