Top 12 Memorable Olympic TV Moments So Far

Ever since the opening ceremony featured a robot horse galloping up the Seine, Céline Dion singing, and Keir Starmer stubbornly refusing to wear a rain poncho, the Paris 2024 Olympics has been one to remember.

Sure, there have been plenty of sporting heroics – from Simone Biles’s brilliance to Tom Pidcock’s puncture comeback. But what about the less-celebrated highlights, behind the mic and in the broadcast studios? From photobombs to bloopers, we rewind a dozen TV moments you may have missed …

The herbally enhanced rapper has emerged as an unlikely cult hero of the games, from torch-bearing through the Paris suburbs to dancing in the stands and swimming with Michael Phelps. A highlight was his drawling description of French scrum-half Antoine Dupont during the home nation’s rugby sevens victory. “He’s got wheels, he deals, he falls, he spills when he gives to his homie, who gets five to stay alive. See, that’s five points and now they groovin’.”

Tom Daley won his fifth Olympic medal by securing silver alongside Noah Williams in the men’s synchronised 10m platform. During his post-event interview, Daley’s one-year-old son Phoenix stole the show by throwing his juice cup from the stands. “And now Phoenix is throwing his juice cup at people,” laughed Daley.

TV’s favourite French charmer, First Dates maître d’ Fred Sirieix, joined the BBC team, not least when his 19-year-old daughter, Andrea, won a diving medal. “Every five minutes, I find myself crying,” gushed the proud papa. After Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson clinched bronze in the women’s synchronised 10m platform, Sirieix Sr interviewed the pair poolside, fondly stroking his daughter’s hair mid-chat and ending with a warm embrace.

Viewers were amused when window cleaners decided to buff the BBC’s glass studio during a live broadcast. Presenter Hazel Irvine, discussing diving with pundit Tonia Couch, was distracted by two oblivious workers appearing behind them. “Can you see this behind me?” laughed the unflappable Irvine. “We’ve got two gentlemen fixing our studio. I don’t think they know they’re on telly.”

When an errant swimming cap appeared in the Olympic pool, a scantily clad official in brightly colored trunks had to dive in to retrieve it. The 15,000-strong crowd cheered him on, and a nameless legend was born. Joe Lycett cheekily claimed credit, posting on X, “I was just in the right place at the right time. Anyone else would’ve done the same.”

BBC anchor Clare Balding had an emotional reaction to Andy Murray’s last match as a professional tennis player. After Murray and Dan Evans’s valiant quarter-final exit in the men’s doubles, Balding had a wobble in her voice and said, “You’d better say something.” She swiftly recovered and turned her attention to the swimming.

Brazilian fencer Nathalie Moellhausen fainted during her match against Ruien Xiao of Canada, causing a brief mix-up. When an official brought over a chair, one of the support team members absent-mindedly sat down before realizing it was for Moellhausen. He quickly got up and helped her into the seat, adding a relatable human touch to the event.

Chinese badminton star Huang Yaqiong had a memorable day when she won mixed-doubles gold and received a surprise marriage proposal from her long-term boyfriend Liu Yuchen. After her victory lap, Liu awaited with a congratulatory bouquet and got down on one knee. She said yes, to the delight of cheering fans.

On-screen captions have provided bonus entertainment. Highlights included the gold medal-winning Chinese synchronised dive duo Long/Wang and GB hurdler Cindy Sember. The swimming lane draw for the women’s 200m freestyle even threw up adjacent combos of Weinstein/Harvey and Canny/Seemanova.

Shortly before dying of cancer, Don Anderson handed his daughter Lola a page from her teenage diary, where she had written about her ambition to win Olympic rowing gold. Over a decade later, Lola’s dream came true as she and Hannah Scott won the women’s quad sculls. Lola dedicated her career to her father’s memory in an emotional post-race interview.

The first day of track and field featured the return of the fan-favorite “Little Car” – those tiny remote control vehicles that retrieve equipment. This time, they were driven by Paris 2024’s Phrygian cap mascot and modelled on Toyota SUVs, bringing a delightful quirk to the games.

German surfer Tim Elter faced an embarrassing moment when he was stripped of his shorts by a wave at Teahupo’o beach in Tahiti. His bare buttocks were on display for the world to see. “When the waves don’t deliver, my ass does,” Elter wrote ruefully on Instagram.