Gamiaw Sport: Viral Moments on Rio Olympics

From sparking off memes to making fans angry, the 2016 Olympics has a lot of moments outside of the competition that people are talking about. Let's take a look at some of this year's most viral moments.

Chad le Clos plays mind games with Michael Phelps

© Clive Rose/Getty ImagesSouth African Chad le Clos (pictured) tried to – and failed to! – intimidate his U.S. rival Michael Phelps before the Men’s 200-meter butterfly semifinal on Aug. 8. Le Clos was seen shadowboxing right in front Phelps, who was staring daggers at him. Later, after beating the South African swimmer, when asked about the dancing, Phelps said he wasn’t really looking at Le Clos. “He does his thing, I do my thing,” he said.

Tonga's hunky flag bearer steals the show 

© Harry How/Getty ImagesLadies around the world had a collective meltdown after seeing Tonga’s flag bearer, Pita Taufatofua (pictured), during the opening ceremony. He was wearing a ta’ovala (a Tongan mat) wrapped around his waist and was oiled up. The first-time Olympian is also the first person from Tonga to compete in taekwondo.

Phelps celebrates with son Boomer

Michael Phelps’ son Boomer stole the show when the swimmer went toward the stands to kiss his little boy after collecting his medal for the men's 200-meter butterfly final. His fans went "aww" when they saw the father-son duo cuddle. His fiancée Nicole Johnson and mother were also present to support the Olympian.

NBC announcer criticized over comments on U.S. gymnast's parents

© Thomas Coex/Getty Images; Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesThree-time World Champion and now an Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles’ (R) parents were derided by Al Trautwig, NBC’s gymnastics announcer for the game. Biles and her sister were adopted by her maternal grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles (L) in 2001 as their biological mother struggled with a drug habit. In a now-deleted tweet, he had said: “They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents.” Soon after that, the “Gymternet” blasted Trautwig for making the comment and #FireTrautwig started trending on Twitter.

Lefort's phone falls out of pocket

© Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

Fencer Enzo Lefort of France had an odd moment during his individual foil qualifying bout against Germany's Peter Joppich (R), when his phone fell out of his back pocket in the middle of the match. The crowd booed him as he quickly picked it up and handed it to someone on the sidelines.

Horton calls Yang a "drug cheat"

© Clive Rose/Getty ImagesSwimmer Mack Horton of Australia, who clinched the gold medal in the men's 400m freestyle, ran into a controversy when he called China's silver medalist Sun Yang a "drug cheat." Horton said, “I don’t have time or respect for drug cheats." Sun, who received a three month doping ban in 2014, broke down during an interview after the race. His fans, however, supported him, with "Sun Yang Don't Cry" becoming the top-trending hashtag on Chinese social media.

Green pool water scares athletes

The diving pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center turned bright green on Aug. 9. Before the officials blamed algae for the discoloration, there were few theories making the rounds on the internet, including the presence of oxidized copper and urine in the water.

North and South Korean athletes bond over a selfie

© Dylan Martinez/ReutersNorth Korean gymnast Hong Un-jong (L) and South Korea’s Lee Eun-ju (R) took a selfie during their training period, which was hailed as representing the spirit of the games. While some people expressed concern for Hong for she might be punished once she goes back home, others were calling it as the “most iconic photo” of the event.

Mysterious purple spots on U.S. athletes

© Michael Dalder/ReutersA number of U.S. athletes, including Michael Phelps (pictured), were seen with purple bruises over their back. After the images went viral, it was found that the marks were leftovers from “cupping” — an ancient Chinese healing practice. Practitioners place specialized cups on the skin or wherever the athlete is experiencing some discomfort and then create suction between the cup and the skin, pulling the skin away from the underlying muscle. This is supposed to help ease blood flow in the muscles, reducing soreness and speeding the healing process.

Rugby player receives marriage proposal from girlfriend  

© Alexander Hassenstein/Getty ImagesBrazilian rugby player Isadora Cerullo (L) received an on-field marriage proposal from girlfriend Marjorie Enya (R), who's also a manager at Deodoro Stadium. Even though Cerullo’s team finished ninth in the first-ever rugby sevens event at the Olympics, Enya cheered her up when she took heart-shaped balloons and got on the field to pop the question.

U.S. swimmer Lilly King speaks her mind on drug cheating

© Julian Finney/Getty ImagesU.S. Olympic gold medalist Lilly King was watching the women’s 100-meter breaststroke semifinal on Aug. 7 when she saw Russia’s Yulia Efimova (pictured) strike a number one pose. King wagged her finger in return and then later went on to win the gold. The American champion was miffed because Efimova had tested positive for meldonium, a performance enhancer, in early 2016. King later told NBC: "You've been caught for drug cheating. I'm just not a fan."

Rio's Olympic mascot has everyone confused

© Vanderlei Almeida/Getty ImagesIt's a cat... It's a Minion... No, it's a mix of various Brazilian animals. This year's Olympic mascot may look cute, but people were not quite sure which animal it represented. A mixture of different Brazilian animals, he is named after the famous Brazilian musician Vinicus de Moraes. (Pictured on right) Tom, the Paralympic Games mascot is a mixture of every plant in Brazil.

Credit: People