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Home / Sport / Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games athletes turn to Tinder in search of romance

By Jeremy Pierce for news.com.au
news.com.au·
10 Apr, 2018 10:03 PM3 mins to read

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We catch up with Gold medalists Tom Walsh, Sophie Pascoe, David Liti and Eric Murray congratulates his old rowing partner Hamish Bond

High-energy athletes are going for Commonwealth Games gold on and off the field – flooding Tinder in search of romance, with photos of their fit bodies and boasts about having the ability to "go all night long".

Athletes from dozens of nations are on the online dating app "looking for fun" during the competition.

Even one country's chef de mission has an active profile.

Some athletes pose in shirtless profile pictures showing off medals, ripped abs, or lounging poolside in bikinis in the village.

Northern Irish triathlete James Edgar's profile boasts that he is an endurance athlete who "can go all night long", while South African hockey player Nqobile Ntuli wants to meet "some wild troopers".

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Unidentified athlete "Lisa" posted this picture of herself in the athletes' village.
Unidentified athlete "Lisa" posted this picture of herself in the athletes' village.

Showing off a chiselled physique, English boxer Luke McCormack – who yesterday advanced to the medal bouts – poses shirtless with rippling muscles and says he is "looking to have some fun while I'm out here".

Welsh hockey player Dale Hutchinson shows off his fun-loving side with pictures out clubbing and celebrating a tournament medal with a beer in the dressing room.

Games village staffers and even team officials are also in on the action, with Bermuda chef de mission Katura Horton-Perinchief telling would-be suitors she is only here "temporarily" on her profile.

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English boxer Luke McCormack.
English boxer Luke McCormack.

From sprinters to cyclists, from squash and badminton players to shooters and even weightlifters, hundreds of athletes from dozens of nations and exotic British territories are just a mutual swipe away from a Commonwealth encounter.

Montserrat sprinter Julius Morris asks girls to come and talk to him in person, while Trinidadian badminton player Nicholas Bonkowsky confesses that he is a "huge nerd/geek on the inside".

Nqobile Bili Ntuli, a South African hockey player.
Nqobile Bili Ntuli, a South African hockey player.

An English sprinter says he has already fallen in love with Australia and asks girls "if you see me around come say hi", while a British swimmer says he is "looking for a good time".

A female athlete posting pictures drinking beer and lazing by the pool in the village is "looking for a nice time in good company" while Scottish shooter David McMath simply needs someone to teach him to surf.

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Triathlete James Edgar from Northern Ireland.
Triathlete James Edgar from Northern Ireland.

Some even pose up with Borobi, the official Games mascot.

Wildly popular with millennials, Tinder and other dating apps allow users to search for potential matches by selecting geographical areas, and there is no greater concentration of finely-tuned physiques on the planet right now than the seven-hectare site of the Athletes Village.

Some athletes show multiple photos linked to Instagram accounts, with pictures of trips to the beach, Games venues or even the amount of underwear they packed for the trip.

Bermuda Chef de Mission Katura Horton-Perinchief.
Bermuda Chef de Mission Katura Horton-Perinchief.

Games Villages have been famous, or infamous, for frisky fraternising between athletes for years and GC2018 shapes as no exception, with giant bowls of condoms strategically placed around the Gold Coast village.

The action is expected to heat up once more athletes finish their competition programs in the second week of the Games.

Some have already been looking for love in the early hours of the morning, long after you'd expect elite athletes to be in bed asleep.

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Support staff ranging from physios to security guards are also telling would-be matches of their roles at the village.

Other Tinder users staying or living near the village are claiming to be athletes staying on the coast for the Games, but their details do not correspond with any listed competitors.

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