Friday's 2024 Olympics opening ceremony may have represented an official start to the Paris Games. But Saturday is when the action got underway in earnest, with some of the tournament's biggest stars showcasing their athletic might in their events of choice.
British diver Tom Daley, 30, doesn't compete until Monday's 10m synchronized platform final. But he showed up in the stands Saturday and showed off another one of his favorite activities: knitting.
Daley is a voracious knitter, having made countless articles of clothing over the course of his career. He's part artist, part artisan, crafting sweaters, dresses, hair ornaments and more since first picking up his knitting needles.
Cameras caught him working on his latest piece while watching the women's synchronized 3m springboard Saturday.
It’s the #ParisOlympics, of course Tom Daley was knitting in the stands. 🧶 pic.twitter.com/xhTY6pnt9V
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 27, 2024
This isn't the first time Daley has been seen turning thread into clothing at the Olympics. He's competing in his fifth Summer Games, and he's brought his knitting with him to previous competitions as well.
Here's the scoop on Daley's passion for knitting, a pursuit that goes way beyond the diving board.
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Why is Tom Daley knitting at the Olympics?
Daley's decision to knit during the Olympic Games may seem a puzzling choice at first. But ask any grandmother (or person adopting grandmother-like tendencies) and it's easy to see why he would do it: Knitting is an easy and productive way to pass the time.
The 2024 Olympics aren't Daley's first rodeo when it comes to understanding the sweet science (of knitting). In fact, he's done this for the better part of the past four years, picking up the pastime prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after his husband suggested looking into the YouTube videos on the subject.
“I became obsessed, essentially,” Daley told the Today Show in 2022. “The first thing I made was a scarf for my mum when I went for Mother’s Day.”
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Daley revealed that knitting has been especially useful as a stress reliever during his career. Given his mercurial start — Daley has been in the spotlight for nearly two decades, capturing the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year award as a 15-year old in 2009 — limiting stress is key to Daley achieving success inside and outside the pool.
The 2021 Summer Games were especially challenging for Daley, who, like many athletes, was unable to do much outside of go into the pool amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We weren’t allowed to go out, we weren’t allowed to do anything, to socialize and there was so much time to overthink about things,” Daley said.
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So he turned to knitting.
"I ended up doing that all the time to get out of my own head. It was my meditation, it’s my calm.”
In the years since his introduction to the craft, Daley has produced countless pieces. He even has an Instagram account dedicated to his progress, one that has garnered more than 1.2 million followers since its inception.
On that account — @madewithlovebytomdaley — Daley revealed layouts for his latest piece, a Paris-themed cardigan with red and white trim along the neckline.
"Watch this space," he wrote in the caption.
We certainly will be, looking to see just what sort of magic Daley's needles have in store for the French capital over the next two weeks.
