Grindr Blocked at Paris Olympics!

July 24, 2024
ALEXANDER

Grindr Blocked at Paris Olympics!

In just a few days, over 10,500 athletes will converge at this year's Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, congregating at the Olympic Village. From this contingent, 155 athletes identify as part of the LGBTQ community. We've previously reported that the Olympics are keeping up with installing cardboard beds in the Village. Said to be more environmentally friendly, most believe the actual idea behind these beds is to deter the athletes from having sex. Tom Daley caused a social media sensation when he checked into his room and tested out the strength of the beds.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley)

Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan (who rarely wears a shirt) also vigorously tested out the beds, showing that it can handle a lot of...activity.

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A post shared by Rhys McClenaghan (@rhysmcc1)

For those that have checked in early, some athletes are sharing pics of the condoms that are being handed out, all with the message of preventing STIs.

Voici ce qui attend les athlètes dans le village olympique ! pic.twitter.com/4I3MeqG921
— Benoît Daragon (@bendarag) July 18, 2024

So, it seems that the Olympics knows people will be getting it on regardless. But, Grindr users have reported that the platform is blocked in the Olympic Village. This X post went viral:

not they blocked Grindr in the Olympic Village pic.twitter.com/sZsC996Kaa
— Louis Pisano (@LouisPisano) July 22, 2024

Such a restriction was imposed during the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. You can thank The Daily Beast for all that. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, one of their straight reporters posed as gay, using Grindr, and set up hookup appointments. The idiot posted their profiles, outing them, with some of them coming from countries where being gay is a big no-no. They did update their article but took a full day to do so, and the piece went viral. The platform block actually originates from Grindr in its commitment to protect the identity of its users and to keep the app as a safe place for those who are exploring their sexuality without the fear of being outed.

Queer athletes will be able to congregate in person with the implementation of Pride House Paris. The safe space will celebrate two weeks of events and networking. It is officially endorsed and supported by the International Olympic Committee. Entrance is free to attendees, and will be showing the competitions during the day with performances and entertainment in the evenings.