Paris 2024 captured global attention as never before, with millions tuning in to witness an array of remarkable athletic achievements.

Beyond the sporting glory, the internet had its own way of engaging with the Games. Memes. And plenty of them.

British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined the word in 1976, from the Greek word mimēma – meaning ‘that which is imitated.’

In a world where broadcasters, brands and stakeholders are constantly vying for the limelight, there is no better indicator of success than the volume of memes a topic generates.

This year’s Olympics didn’t disappoint, so let’s look at some of the best …

Shooting sports rarely make headlines, but Paris 2024 was a startling exception! The distinct styles of competitors like Kim Yeji, with her cutting-edge equipment, captured the internet’s imagination. But it was Yusuf Dikeç’s casual approach that really stood out.

His unusually laid-back demeanour and low-tech turned equipment him into a social media sensation and one of the most talked-about athletes of the Games. This shows how unexpected moments can define an event’s cultural impact and most importantly how unexpected narratives provide such fertile ground when it comes to creating reactive content.

• Dikec vs Kim Yeji
• Contrasting Style
• GB Shooters

Enter ‘The Muffin Man.’ Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen broke the internet when his obsession with the chocolate muffins at the Olympic Village went viral. His posts on TikTok racked up hundreds of millions of views during the Games. This video alone received 18.2m views.

The Olympics has and always will be synonymous with feats of incredible athletic ability, however Christiansen’s promotion of baked goods was one of the most unexpected yet far-reaching narratives of the Games. 4000 muffins were served daily at the Olympic Village, so when Isshiki Matcha in New York opened a pop-up offering the real thing, imported from Paris, ‘from 10am ‘till sold out,’ the public jumped on it. This post, which garnered 2.2m views, shows the ‘bonkers’ queues in East Village.

• Muffin goes global

While Dikeç was the star of Week 1, Raygun stole the spotlight in Week 2. With eyes on Breaking’s Olympic debut – could it translate into a competitive format? Raygun’s performance, characterised by her enthusiastic but somewhat unpolished moves, stole the show– not for its technical prowess, but for its relatability.

Despite earning a zero from the judges, Raygun won gold in meme-worthy moments. It’s no wonder the internet couldn’t get enough.

• Raygun vs Spiderman

The I wasn’t selected trend emerged early in the Games, capturing a widespread feeling of inadequacy in a humorous way. As people shared videos of their own athletic ‘fails’, the trend became a social media phenomenon, even attracting attention from major brands. This highlighted how the public relates to the Olympics – in awe of the athletes while recognising their own limitations at the same time – self-awareness turned into a communal online experience.

• I wasn’t selected
• Formula 1 jump on the trend

Snoop Dogg’s involvement with the US team in Paris was always likely to generate a buzz, and that’s exactly what it did! Hired by NBC to draw attention to the Games, Snoop delivered plenty of viral moments that were rapidly embraced by the internet. His presence highlighted the role of memes in extending Olympic coverage reach and provided a great example of how digital content can amplify traditional broadcasting efforts.

• Snoop the cheerleader
• Snoop loves horses

Memes have an uncanny ability communicate lucid and accessible messages instantaneously. This characteristic makes them perfect for reusing archive content for new purposes. Cue the ‘Olympic’ lifeguard.

This post received 300k reactions on Facebook but the real question is, how many of those who engaged realised that this was an old photo that was NOT from Paris 2024? And for those who did, they clearly didn’t care.

This underlines the near endless potential for content creators to recycle old images and footage to get outside the bubble of the present and make archive content relevant again by using it to convey a relatable idea around current sporting events.

There were countless memes from Paris 2024, far too many to cover in one post. However, here are several worth mentioning:

• Olympic memes in real life
• Stephen Nedoroscik
• Pole Vault Fail

If memes are the currency of success on social media, Paris 2024 hit the Olympic jackpot.