When the creator of Harry Potter and the beloved world of Hogwarts tweets, it invariably gets attention.

On Tuesday, Twitterati went into a tizzy as author JK Rowling echoed the confusion around the points system of the cycling events at the Rio Olympics with the quip: “Don’t you dare tell me Quidditch is hard to understand.” The tweet was suffixed with the hashtags #pointsrace #cycling #Olympics. It was retweeted by 11,000 people and liked by 30,000.

In the Harry Potter universe, quidditch is a wizarding sport played between two teams riding “flying broomsticks, using four balls: a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Golden Snitch”.

For Rowling and many others, this is easier to fathom than the rules of the omnium events at the Olympics.

In the long-distance cycling event, large numbers of riders cycle simultaneously on track. There are usually 120-160 laps, with a sprint every 10 laps, and 5, 3, 2, and 1 point(s) awarded to the top four finishers in each sprint. In addition to the sprints, any rider managing to lap the main field is awarded extra 20 points. The winner of the race is the one who has the most points at the end.

Tweets agreeing with Rowling flooded the micro-blogging site on Tuesday.

This tweet from last week shows how seriously certain sections of the Olympic-watching audience take their Quidditch goals.

Who robbed Ryan Lochte?

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint by men posing as police officers in Rio de Janeiro. Lochte told NBC News that the men held a gun to his head and took his money and wallet.

“I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever’,” said Lochte, who added that the men took off with his wallet but did not take his cell phone or credentials. The United States Olympic Committee confirmed the report.

Lochte’s mugging comes after a handful of similar incidents that have brought Rio’s safety into question.

Social media was amazed at Lochte’s very calm response.

Daylight robbery

Rio de Janeiro has been plagued by a spate of robberies. An unknown person recorded 27 robbery attempts on the same street corner in the city in January. That video, showing the brazen robbers, is now going viral after Lochte's mugging.

The petty thieves can be seen snatching bags and phones from pedestrians wandering through the streets.

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The news crashers

Sometimes, the commentary can be just as fun as the on-field competition, as BBC anchor Dan Walker experienced. The presenter was interrupted by a Brazilian hen party which stormed his live Olympic coverage.

Instead of letting the crowd of women pass, Walker invited the elated bride-to-be, Maria, to sit with him and tell him about her wedding.

The clip has since gone viral, becoming a social media win.