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).
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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
|
