Grindr use in Sochi has nearly tripled during the Olympics

SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Tinder isn’t the only hookup app winning in Sochi during the Winter Olympics -- use of gay hookup app Grindr has reportedly nearly tripled in the last week.

After American snowboarder Jamie Anderson said that, “Tinder in the Olympic Village is next level,” the folks at Vocativ reached out to Grindr to see if usage of the app, which is specifically for gay and bisexual men, had increased.

According to a Grindr spokesperson, the number of active Grindr users in Sochi has grown from 185 a week ago to 541. Overall, Russia has about 55,000 active users.

That number might be boosted because the Russian version of the app, Hunters, was recently shut down. Hunters CEO Dimitry T. said that users of the app logged on to see the following message on Feb 3:

“You will be arrested and jailed for gay propaganda in Sochi according to Russian Federal Law #135 Sektion 6.” Afterward, 72,000 user profiles were deleted.

Given Russia’s anti-gay laws, it only seems fitting that Grindr is having success at the Games.

[Vocativ]