Rio Olympics 2016: Snapchat Adds Olympic-Themed Filters, Stickers And Bitmojis Just In Time For Opening Ceremony

When viewers tune in to watch the summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Rio, they can Snapchat the occasion using Olympic-themed filters, lenses and stickers. To celebrate the official kick-off of the summer 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Snapchat debuted Friday a new set of geofilters, stickers, Bitmojis and lenses so everyone can feel like an Olympian.

Not only did the app debut a slew of new Olympic-themed features, Snapchat will also be featuring exclusive video content through its Live Stories. It will add a temporary NBC Olympics channel to its Discover channel, reported Mashable. NBC will be producing the channel’s exclusive content.

For its Live Stories, six countries that have broadcast partnerships with Snapchat will feature stories –- Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, the United States, France, Brazil and Latin America.

The stickers and Bitmojis, or personal look-alike avatars, can be sent through chats and snaps. The new Olympics-themed bitmojis portray users’ avatars with foam fingers and holding the Olympic torch. Bitmoji maker, Bitstrip, was acquired by Snapchat back in March for around $100 million, according to Fortune.

Filters include patriotic colors. There will also be a medal count filter with gold, bronze and silver medallions that will change as each country’s team earns more medals. The Snapchat geofilters will be available in 50 different countries.

Animated selfie lenses will also feature countries’ patriotic colors and fireworks shooting off in the background. Users can add sports memorabilia like patriotic headbands and swim caps.

AdWeek reported that Facebook/Instagram also partnered with NBC Olympics for the summer games. The network will be reporting for Facebook Live and its Instagram. Keep an eye out on Instagram Stories for potential updates.