EDMONTON — Team China arrived in Edmonton last week ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The team signed up for an official Twitter account Wednesday.
For most teams, joining Twitter might not be newsworthy, but in China, social media sites including Twitter and Facebook are blocked.
“We’re really excited that they’re on,” said Christopher Doyle, director of media partnerships with Twitter Canada.
Now, 23 of the 24 teams participating in the World Cup have Twitter accounts.
“Twitter really is a platform that’s a social soundtrack to these global events, really connects everyone and it’s a great way for the teams and fans to interact with each other, so it’s exciting to them having just joined.”
Sweden is the only team not on the social network.
After creating its account, Team China sent its first tweet Wednesday afternoon.
“For big events like this like the World Cup, we know it takes place on the pitch but it also takes place on Twitter,” said Doyle.
“We know that the attention of the world will be on the tournament so it’s really a fantastic way to connect.”
Last year, the men’s team from Iran joined Twitter ahead of the World Cup despite the site being blocked since 2009. All 32 countries taking part in that tournament were represented on Twitter.
This week, Team Canada welcomed Team China to the social medium.
So, what will happen when the tournament is over and the team heads back home? Doyle isn’t sure.
“I couldn’t begin to speculate.”
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