Olympic Games: Which Sports Disciplines Attract the Most Attention?

In a period from July 26 to August 11, 2024, we have an opportunity to witness one more spectacle in the world of sports – the Olympic Games, 33^rd so far. During 19 days of competition, more than 320 events will be organized in 35 venues, and around 10,500 athletes will compete for medals in 32 sports. Efforts of more than 45,000 volunteers are invested so that each event and ceremony is held in the best possible way. Billions of TV viewers worldwide will have an opportunity to watch more than 350,000 hours of TV broadcast in total.

Most Popular Individual Sports

Numerous research data show that several individual sports attract extremely high levels of attention from the public. The first one is Gymnastics, where qualifying meets attracted more than 8 million viewers only in the USA. This is one of the most skillful sports, where extreme strength is required as well. We do expect that once eSports becomes an Olympic discipline, it will take over the title of most watched discipline, but for that, we will have to wait until 2028. As a reminder, eSports, e-betting and Online casinos are getting more and more users, with sites like Strafe blooming globally. Although it was speculated that the 2024 Olympics will introduce eSports as a new sport, it has not happened yet.

Next to gymnastics, the category of athletics surely deserves to be mentioned. It is one of the richest disciplines when it comes to the number of competitors and events, but the 100m race keeps being the most-watched event. In third place is swimming – a sport that reaches an unusually high number of spectators despite relatively low popularity in non-Olympics days. This year, the triathlon brought a lot of attention due to speculations that the Seine River, as the designated venue for marathon and triathlon swimming, was not safe enough. Nowadays, tennis has become more and more popular due to the great (but sportsman-like) rivalry between The Big Three – GOAT Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

Most Popular Team Sports

As you may expect, the most popular team sport in the Olympics is football, which is natural keeping in mind the popularity of this sport worldwide. However, this competition is seen as a lower tier as it does not belong to official FIFA competitions, which is why the biggest stars are often not taking part in it. On the other hand, the spectators are surely eager to watch the basketball tournament, as high-quality and intense matches are expected to be held between the best national times worldwide. Currently, the USA stands as the number one, but it is closely followed by the national team of Serbia. Don’t forget that 139 current and former NBA and WNBA players compete in the Olympics, breaking all records so far.

Conclusion

The Olympic Games feature a diverse range of sports disciplines that captivate audiences around the world. These disciplines are extremely diverse, and the tension and thrill they bring to spectators are often mesmerizing – as if the world stops for 19 days and there is nothing more important than to watch thrilling competitions and fantastic athletes. From track and field events to team sports like basketball and football, the Olympics surely give us a summer full of excitement and pure happiness.