With rules slightly eased, Canadian Olympians are sharing journeys on social media

Open up any social media app and you'll see Canadian athletes sharing their Olympic journeys, from behind-the-scenes photos with teammates to silly fashion shows featuring their official team kit.

This year, a further easing of the once-ironclad rules around social media means athletes can use their platforms a little more freely, whether to connect with fans or draw sponsors' eyes.

Road cyclist Alison Jackson is one of the people who is clearly having fun. Recent videos on her Instagram account show her not only racing through Paris but also perching atop a set of Olympic rings, re-enacting a scene from the movie "Titanic" during the opening ceremony on the Seine, and professing her undying love for Paris baguettes and croissants.

Jackson said she's naturally an entertainer who loves making people laugh, but there's also a more serious side to her engagement.

"Female athletes have to promote themselves more, especially in a sport where there's a disparity between men's and women's," said Jackson. She said that for a long time, male cyclists dominated TV coverage, while the women's side "had to have our own Twitter (now X) feed of how the races were going."

As an athlete in a Eurocentric sport, she says she can also use her platform to help Canadians understand cycling, and hopefully fall in love with it.

"What's cool about the Olympics is people will watch sports they've never watched before," she said. "Everyone can connect with riding a bike, because everyone has ridden a bike."

For Finlay Knox, a member of the men's swimming team, social media is a way to highlight successes that might otherwise be overlooked.

Teammates like quadruple medallist Summer McIntosh get the bulk of the publicity, leaving it up to him to