Olympics – the grandest sporting extravaganza in the world, without a shade of doubt.
Sport enthusiasts and athletes across the globe, eagerly wait for the Olympics to take place every four years. It is undoubtedly, the biggest sporting festival. Over the years, certain sporting disciplines have emerged as the most popular events at the Olympics.
The Paris 2024 Olympics begins on July 26 and that gives us the perfect opportunity to take a look at the five most popular Olympic sports.
Athletics (Track and Field): Athletics includes various track events like sprints, middle and long-distance races, hurdles, relays, as well as field events like long jump, high jump, pole vault, shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw. The track and field events get the most digital and television coverage across the world. There is immense hype about most events in the Athletics section and the athletes never fail to mesmerize us. Few of disciplines in Athletics which are immensely popular include – Sprint races, Relay races, Pole Vault, Javelin Throw,
Long Jump and High Jump.
The 100m sprint races deserve a special mention amidst all these events. Popularly considered as one of the most prestigious titles in the World, the 100m men’s and women’s sprints give us the ‘Fastest Man and Woman in the World’. The event is certainly a spectacle to watch.
Swimming: Swimming events range from short sprints to longer distance races, including freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly strokes. There are also relay events and medleys. – The sport has given us the most successful Olympic athlete of all time. No prizes for guessing – yes it indeed is, Michael Phelps. But why is Swimming so popular?
Swimming has been an Olympic game for ages and viewers love to watch this sport. Moreover, Swimming awards the most gold medals at the Olympics and nations across the globe, focus on the sport to maximize their medal returns from this event. Both factors together make Swimming one of the most popular Olympic sports among fans and athletes.
Gymnastics: Gymnastics comprises artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline events. Athletes perform routines on apparatus such as the balance beam, uneven bars, vault, rings, and floor exercise. Every discipline is wonderful to watch and that is the primary factor why Gymnastics is such a popular sport.
Football (Soccer): Football is one of the most popular team sports at the Olympics. It features men’s and women’s competitions with teams from around the world competing for the gold medal.
Basketball: Basketball at the Olympics includes both men’s and women’s competitions. Teams compete in a tournament format, aiming to win the gold medal through skillful gameplay and teamwork.
