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Tinder Usage Spikes 129 Percent at Olympic Village in Rio

Olympics opening ceremony tinder
Michael Phelps of the United States carries the flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Maracana Stadium on August 5, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The 2016 Olympic athletes have discovered a new pastime: looking for love. Tinder usage has more than doubled at the sports stars’ village in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, since the start of the games, according to a new report.

Related: PHOTOS: Here's What Rio Olympic Athletes Will Wear

A Tinder spokesperson told the Associated Press on Tuesday, August 9, that user matches on the popular dating app increased 129 percent over the weekend as approximately 10,000 Olympic elites moved into the secluded 31-building compound.

“The Olympics is a very sexually charged time,” online and mobile dating expert Julie Spira told the AP. “Young athletes and attendees have been using dating apps heavily in prior Olympics, but now the popularity of an app like Tinder continues to grow and grow.”

Related: PHOTOS: Olympic Athletes: Where Are They Now?

“A lot of the athletes here are using this app,” Swedish judoka Marcus Nyman told the news outlet, adding that he got about 10 matches on the app in the first day or so after he arrived in Rio.

It’s no secret that Olympic athletes have played matchmaker during their down time in the past. At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, American snowboarder Jamie Anderson told Us Weekly, “Tinder in the Olympic Village is next level. It’s all athletes! In the mountain village, it’s all athletes. It’s hilarious. There are some cuties on there.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrity Sex Confessions

As Us Weekly previously reported, this summer’s athletes were provided with a stockpile of 450,000 condoms for their two-week stay, allotting approximately 42 condoms to each sportsperson.

However, an Olympic source told Us that the reality of the athletes’ sexual activity has been blown out of proportion as it’s “pretty tough to hook up on twin beds with roommates.”

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