SGMA Olympics

Summer Games Usually Leads To Boost In Participation In Olympic Sports

Published August 2, 2012

Americans tend to get more active during the Olympic Games, playing many of the sports and activities they watch, according to research from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. There was a slight increase in participation for Olympic sports from ’07 to ’08 around the Beijing Games. A similar increase was seen from ’03 to ’04 around the Athens Games. A total of 16 fitness and exercise activities experienced a boost in participation from ‘08 to ’09 following Beijing. Listed below are the most popular Olympic sports in the U.S., from a participant perspective, based on core participation (SGMA).

MOST POPULAR OLYMPIC SPOTS IN THE U.S.
RK	SPORT/ACTIVITY	CORE U.S. PARTICIPANTS (MILLIONS)	MINIMUM TIMES/YEAR
1	Bicycling (road/surface)	20.6	13
2	Basketball	16.7	26
3	Tennis	14.3	11
4	Outdoor soccer	6.4	26
5	Table tennis	5.6	13
6	Target shooting (rifle)	5.2	8
7	Court volleyball	3.9	13
8	Mountain biking	3.7	13
9	Horseback riding	2.5	13
10	Track & field	2.5	26
11	Badminton	2.4	13
12	Kayaking (recreational)	2.2	8
13	Gymnastics	1.8	50
14	Swimming	1.5	50
15	Sailing	1.3	8
16	Beach volleyball	1.3	13
17	Shooting (trap/skeet)	1.2	8
18	BMX cycling	1.2	13
19	Wrestling	1.1	26
20	Triathlon	1.0	2