How Gen Z Turns Olympic Moments into Cultural Phenomena
The Olympics have always been a stage for athletic excellence, national pride and unforgettable performances. But at the 2026 Winter Games, something different happened: the moment that captivated global audiences wasn’t just about scores or medals - it was about cultural resonance.
Alysa Liu, the 20-year-old American figure skating star, didn’t just skate to victory; she danced to “Stateside” by Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress during her Exhibition Gala. The performance instantly went viral, with fans and music artists alike sharing, commenting and celebrating the link between sport and music. In that moment, a figure skating routine became a cultural artifact, one that resonated far beyond the rink.
TikTok: Where Sport Meets Culture
Platforms like TikTok are no longer just social media - they are cultural accelerators. A short clip of Liu’s routine can be seen, remixed and reinterpreted by millions in minutes. Music charts, fashion trends and even brand conversations can pivot around a 30-second video.
Gen Z, in particular, consumes culture through snippets, trends and participatory content. Olympic moments are no longer confined to stadiums or TV screens - they live in TikTok feeds, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. In this sense, a viral performance like Liu’s does more than entertain; it creates shared cultural capital, linking sport, music and identity in ways traditional media could never achieve alone.
Merging the Digital and Physical Worlds
The magic of Liu’s performance lies in its dual existence: it was both a physical spectacle and a digital sensation. For brands and marketers, this fusion represents a shift in how we think about influence:
Real-world actions amplify online – every spin and jump Liu performed carried meaning amplified by social sharing.
Digital attention drives cultural relevance – trending songs, memes and challenges can turn an athletic performance into a moment everyone talks about.
Brands must bridge both spaces – sponsorships and campaigns now need to exist on the ice and on the feed, creating holistic experiences that resonate in both spheres.
Why Marketers Should Care
This is a lesson in modern influence: your audience doesn’t just watch - they participate. In a Gen Z-driven culture, the boundary between content creator, consumer and athlete is increasingly blurred. The Olympics, TikTok and music in general are proving that the real world and the digital world are not separate stages, they are one shared arena.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear: don’t just sponsor the performance. Engage with the culture, meet the audience where they are online and think about how real-world experiences can spark digital conversations. The brands that succeed in 2026 and beyond will be the ones that recognise that viral moments are born when culture and community collide. When energy and creativity become shared excitement that spills from the rink into feeds and stories.