The YouGov Sports Study gauged public interest in the sports included in the most recent Summer Olympics cycle and considered whether certain sports should be added or removed
How popular are the current Olympic sports?
Athletics stands out as the most popular category, with around half of Britons (52%) - saying they are very or somewhat interested in track and field at the Olympics.
Following athletics, water sports like swimming (48%) and diving (45%) are the next most popular. Women are more likely than men to say they are very interested in both swimming (20% vs 13%) and diving (20% vs 8%).
Around four in ten Britons express interest in football (38%), with a higher proportion of men (48%) than women (29%) doing so. Other popular sports are cycling track (37%), artistic gymnastics (36%), triathlon (36%), tennis (35%), and rowing (35%).
On the opposite end is breaking (breakdancing) – which ranks as the least popular Olympic sport, with just 12% showing interest in it ahead of the 2024 Games. It is joined by handball, water polo and wrestling, with just 13% of Britons saying they are interested in.
Sports Britons believe should be excluded from the Olympics
We also asked which sports currently in the Olympics should stay and which should be scrapped. This question was asked both at the start of the Olympic Games in Paris and after they finished. The results did not differ much save for one of the niche sports that debuted at the Paris Olympics - breaking. More commonly known as ‘breakdancing’, it is described as “an urban dance style that originated in the United States in the 1970s”.
While the percentage of Britons who would like to see breaking in the Olympics was effectively the same in our surveys both during (19%) and after the Games (17%), the number of those opposed to the sport being included significantly grew following the Games, from 37% in our first poll to 53% in our post-Games survey.
This is likely to be at least in part due to the significant amount of negative publicity the sport received following Australian competitor Raygun’s much ridiculed routine. The Olympic organisers themselves clearly had their own misgivings about the sport, having announced that breaking would not be a part of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles well before the Paris tournament even began.
Golf topped the list of sports which should not be included, with around half of Britons (54%) saying it should not be part of the Olympics, the most recent data shows – this figure did not significantly change from the mid-Games survey.
Sports Britons want added to the Olympics
We also explored which sports not currently in the Olympics people think should be added. Six in ten Britons (60%) believe squash should be an Olympic sport, with a majority also supporting the inclusion of mixed martial arts (56%).
Around four in ten Britons (40%) would like to see bowling and lacrosse included. Opinions on cricket are split, with 37% in favour of including it and 42% against.
As the Olympics evolve, newly-invented sports are being considered. Ahead of the Paris Games, the IOC announced the first-ever Olympic Esports Games, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2025. However, for most Britons, including esports in the regular Olympics is a no-go: just 12% support the idea, while 61% oppose it. Support for esports is higher among those under 40 (21-26%) compared to the older generations (10-13%).
Since 1999, chess has been legally recognized by the IOC as a sport, though it has never been included as an Olympic event. Only 16% of Britons believe chess deserves a spot in the Olympics, rising to 21-26% among those under 40. Two thirds of Britons (67%) do not support chess as an Olympic sport.
See the full results here:
Which sports should/not be in the Olympics (during Paris 2024)
Which sports should/not be in the Olympics (post Paris 2024)
Photo: Getty
