• by Colin Kirkland , February 13, 2024

In an effort to grow its fan base and provide viewers with behind-the-scenes footage of athletes' individual journeys, Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic teams have announced a partnership with TikTok ahead of this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.

Under the partnership, which builds on the popularity of Olympic and Paralympic sport content (TikTok says Tokyo 2020 resulted in over 300,000 related video creations), the ByteDance-owned company will designate experts to lead content creation workshops for hundreds of British Olympic athletes.

According to TikTok, the workshops are intended to help athletes “engage with new audiences, build their personal fan bases and, in ParalympicsGB’s case, champion change for disabled people.”

In addition to workshops, TikTok is also planning to run purpose-built content-creation spaces at both Team GB House and ParalympicsGB House in order to help athletes further connect with their supporters in the app.

The content houses will be located at the Pavillon D’Armenonville and in Clichy, with opportunities for fans to “rub shoulders with Team GB and ParalympicGB legends, past and present.”

TikTok is selling limited tickets to the public that will grant them access to celebrate potential medal wins “alongside friends, family and fans.”

There will also be live music and “exclusive entertainment,” the company says.

The partnership may come as a surprise in the aftermath of the UK's recent ban of TikTok from all government-owned devices in the region.

In March, the Cabinet Office Ministers' security review resulted in security concerns around TikTok's potential ties to China's Communist Party.

This sentiment is shared by many countries across the world, including the U.S. which banned the app on government devices and considered a public ban.

However, with its tailor-made algorithm and captivating short-form video feed, TikTok has the attention of younger demographics across the globe.

Looking ahead to elections and major sporting events on the horizon, it has been difficult for governments and political candidates -- including President Biden's 2024 campaign -- to ignore the massive appeal and importance of TikTok among younger demographics as they look to engage voters and fans.