Olympic Games Paris 2024: Top sports in Europe and UK

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 is drawing closer, and YouGov has produced analysis examining not only how people plan on following the games but also the reasons why. In this piece, based on data from Global Fan Profiles, we look at the sports that consumers are most likely to follow when the games begin on July 26 in Paris. In this piece we examine the five most popular sports in major markets in mainland Europe and the UK.

Unlike in the Americas, athletics takes the lead in several prominent markets. It's especially popular in the United Kingdom, with 32% of the population following it, and it also attracts at least a quarter of Germans (25%) and French (27%).

Athletics is also a top-five sport in Italy and Spain, although soccer remains the top pick in these markets. Soccer is similarly popular in Germany and France, with 23% each, but fails to break into the top five in the UK. This is likely due to Great Britain rarely entering a men's team in the Olympics football competition, and the women's team not featuring in the 2024 edition of the Games.

In the UK, swimming, artistic gymnastics, diving, and track cycling round off the top five. Swimming is among the five most popular Summer Olympics sports in each of the other four European markets analyzed, reflecting a consistent interest in this aquatic discipline across the continent.

Handball is another noteworthy mention, followed by 14% of Germans and 15% of French.

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