Team USA rower Emily Delleman shared some intriguing insights about the online dating scene in the Olympic Village through a TikTok video.
The 26-year-old Olympian explained that finding love with fellow athletes at the Summer Games in Paris has been more challenging than expected.
“So I was laying in my cardboard bed the other day recovering… and I was scrolling through TikTok and I was seeing the girlies saying, ‘Hey change your location to the Olympic Village. Like, do you want babies?’ And I was like ‘Oh my gosh, genius.’ I mean, I am here right now, so you have to take full advantage of this, like when in Rome,” Delleman recounted.
Inspired by the suggestion, Delleman decided to re-download the Tinder dating app. “I haven’t had this app downloaded in years, so I go to the app store and they’re hyping it up. They’re like, ‘Match with pro athletes using our new feature,’ and I was like, ‘Crazy, okay.’ But this must be good. The nostalgia was starting to hit. The expectations were rising,” she said.
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However, her experience did not live up to the hype. “So I start scrolling and scrolling and I’m not seeing any Olympians. I was like, ‘Okay, my settings must be weird.’ No. I’m like, location, one-mile radius and so far I think I’ve seen a total of two other Olympians,” Delleman explained. Despite the lack of fellow Olympians on Tinder, she noted, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you Parisian men are beautiful, chefs kiss like I don’t know what they put in the water. But, you know, I went in with the expectations of finding some of my future plot lines, but alas, I guess we’re searching for other forms of entertainment and that’s now why you’re finding me on TikTok.”
Tinder’s TikTok account even chimed in, commenting, “Someone tag me in part 2.”
Delleman, a Davenport, Iowa, native, was an All-American in 2019 and 2020 while competing at Stanford University. Her video sparked additional discussions about the cardboard beds in the Olympic Village and the large quantity of condoms available to the athletes and staff. Laurent Dalard, who coordinated first aid and health services for the Paris Games, mentioned in a news conference that over 200,000 condoms were distributed in the Olympic Village. This equates to about 20 condoms per person for each of the 10,500 athletes.
This isn’t the first time such provisions have been made. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, despite an unofficial “intimacy ban” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers distributed 160,000 condoms in the Olympic Village, according to NPR.
Delleman’s candid revelation adds a personal touch to the broader narrative of life in the Olympic Village, highlighting the unique social dynamics athletes navigate. While her quest for Olympic love might not have gone as planned, it provides a glimpse into the lighter, more human side of the Olympic experience.
As for her athletic endeavors, the U.S. men’s pair finished sixth and will compete in Friday’s B final for overall places 7-12. The rowing events at the Summer Games conclude on August 3, and Delleman continues to support her teammates while making the most of her time in Paris.
