MUMBAI: India outranked countries like the US, Brazil and Philippines in terms of highest engagement on Facebook during the Tokyo Olympics 2020, with Gold medal winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra being the second most mentioned athlete on the global social networking platform.
These were just some of the highlights of the key global trends and data from the Tokyo Olympic Games on Facebook and Instagram between July 23 and August 8.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics trends and data from the date July 23, 2021 – 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):
1. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CRrOSfGHpZS/
2. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CR-J9BfBKQ2/
3. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CSTePmaDgU4/
4. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CR1YefuhBb4/
5. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CR-cM99pRnX/
* Data as of Aug. 8 at 8am PT, covering the duration of the Games (July 23-Aug. 8).
In a separate statement, Facebook said it has partnered with UNICEF India to launch a one-year joint initiative on ending violence against children with a special focus on online safety.
The partnership seeks to create a safe environment for children online and offline, and aims to improve children’s resilience and capacity to access the digital world safely, the statement said.
The intent is to increase awareness on violence against children and its impact on children, families, and communities, as well as increase skills of communities and frontline workers to better prevent and respond to violence, it added.
This partnership will include a nation-wide social media awareness campaign, and capacity building for 100,000 school children on online safety, digital literacy, and psychosocial support.
