While the history of the Olympics dates back to Ancient Greece, the modern resurrection of the Olympics occurred in the 1800s. Today, the Olympics are among the most popular sporting events in the world. The question we are looking to answer in this article is, "what are the most popular sports played at the Olympics?".
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is the most popular sport in the Summer Olympics. The reason for the popularity of the sport, likely, has to do with the athlete's incredible skill and feats, seemingly done with utmost ease. Infusing the high-performing athleticism with the drama and pageantry inherent to the sport makes gymnastics so compelling to watch, and is the reason why Summer Olympics ratings surge during the gymnastic events.
Football/Soccer
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Football is the most popular sport in the world right now, with over 3 billion fans the world over. Naturally, when the most popular sport in the world is played at an Olympic level, it is to be expected that the event would be popular. The Olympic football tournament is one of the biggest events in the world of the sport, and one of the biggest betting events on websites like Novibet sports betting, for example.
Many fans of the sport, however, might argue that the men's soccer tournament is not nearly as exciting as the women's event. Whether one agrees or disagrees, the fact remains that both are hugely popular.
Swimming/Water Polo
In this section, we will tackle a two-for-one. Swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, mainly because most people in the world love to swim, or have swam at some point in their life. Even non-sports fans have heard the name Michael Phelps at some point, who earned his fame by becoming the most decorated Olympic-level athlete in history.
In a similar vein, water polo is quite an exciting sport, though it may not seem like it. It might seem strange to say, but water polo is one of the most popular Olympic sports, though it lacks popularity outside the Olympics. It seems that most people will only tune in to a water polo match if an Olympic medal is on the line.
Track and Field
Track is often ranked among the top Olympic sports. In one form or another, the sport has been a part of the Olympics since its ancient incarnation, and today the races remain fast-paced, heart-pumping and exciting, even though upsets tend to be rare. Although, it is precisely because a huge shift in the race tends to be rare, that track is often considered among the best sports to watch on television, for those who don't have the time or money to attend the Olympics in person.
Basketball
The last sport we are taking a look at is basketball. Much like football, both men's and women's basketball is hugely popular at the Olympics. As expected, the Americans dominate the Olympic basketball scene, having won a huge majority of the gold medals, since the sport was added to the Olympic roster.