While some Columbians are competing in Rio, another battle for the gold is taking place online—the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) is a contender in this year's Alumpics.
Ivy+ peers Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford will face off next week in an Instagram-based competition, timed with the real Olympics in Rio.
The Alumpics will not test the physical prowess of these alumni associations, but rather their social media mettle.
Between August 8 and August 12, each school will post a daily themed photo or "alumpic" to their Instagram accounts and try to get the most likes on their schools' photos. Daily themes include Athletics, Campus, Summer, Throwback Thursday, and School Spirit.
At the end of each day, gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the winners. The alumni association with the greatest medal count at the end of the competition will be declared the Alumpics champion.
Help your alma mater in its quest for the gold by following the CAA on Instagram, and encouraging your friends to do the same!
And don't forget to cheer on our talented Columbians in the real Olympics, including swimmer Katie Meili '13CC, track star Akua Obeng-Akrofi '18CC, and fencers Nzingha Prescod '15CC and Coach Akhnaten Spencer-El.
The Low Down took a look at all Columbia Olympians, going back over 30 years. The impressive list includes this year's Olympians, as well as two siblings who both won silver medals in 2008, a three-time Olympian who took home the gold when she was studying law at Columbia, and more. Read more.
Learn more about the Alumpics | Follow the CAA on Instagram.