Gen Z and Millennial Olympians are inspiring next gen athletes via TikTok.

Gen Z and Millennial Olympians are inspiring next gen athletes via TikTok. Just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, young Olympians are using TikTok to introduce their sport to new audiences and serve as role models, sending particularly inspiring messages to girls, LGBTQ youth, and athletes with disabilities. Kendall Chase, U.S. Olympic women’s four rower, regularly posts about rowing to her 50,000+ TikTok followers and has slowly gained a following from the LGBTQ community since joining the platform at the start of the pandemic. U.S. women’s rugby team member Ilona Maher has also been taking to TikTok to build awareness for her sport after realizing that many don’t know the U.S. has a women’s rugby team; Paralympic javelin thrower Justin Phongsavanh frequently shares TikTok videos of his training sessions (many of which have gone viral); Paralympic track and field athlete Trenten Merill uses his account to bring awareness for the Paralympics and notes, “TikTok became a place where I can show what I can do with a prosthetic…so many people have commented how they were inspired.” NBC Olympics is also taking to social media to engage with young viewers by hosting five shows inside Snapchat along with a “Train Like an Olympian” AR lens via the @Olympics Snapchat account. (NBC, Adweek)