Most Popular Sports of the Olympic Games

The Top Ten
1 Gymnastics Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring strength, flexibility, balance and control.

This is the best sport to watch at the Olympic Games because their is a lot of high drama in this sport. For instance, Svetlana Khorkina was a diva at Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens. Athens was the games when she said that her all around win was stolen by Carly Patterson of the USA and thought that her win was a fixed. Then you have the talented stars like Oksana Chusovitina, who went to 7 olympics and 43 years old. She had a suffering story like when her son was diagnosed with leukemia and then at Beijing when she won that silver medal, she helped him to make sure he didn't have leukemia anymore.

2 Athletics

When people think of the Olympics they think of athletics. That's why closing and opening ceremonies are always held in the athletics ceremonies. I don't watch the Olympic for football, tennis, cricket etc because the Olympics is not the pinnacle of those sports, that's why the Olympics is all about athletics.

Track and field is no doubt the hardest event in the olympics. People talk more about gymnastics because the gymnasts look ridiculous and act like babies, but the real sport is track and field, minus the discus and hammer throw.

3 Aquatics

Swimming is one of the most popular sports - if not the most popular sport in the Olympics simply because everyone can relate to swimming. Swimming is an easy sport to follow and to root for and everyone has swam before or seen someone swimming. Not to mention swimmers are super good looking and easy on the eyes!

The only sport I specifically tune in to watch is aiming. The gymnasts seem mediocre in the last few Olympic Games. I do like beach volleyball also.

Swimming. Not aiming. Not an Olympic typist obviously.

4 Basketball Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high mounted to a backboard at each end.

Only sport that's good in summer, best over all is hockey. I mean really? It's the only sport in the summer olympics that anyone cares about besides the olympics

5 Beach Volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net. It has been an Olympic discipline since the 1996 Games.

Men love beach volleyball because of the skimpy outfit of the girls. They should wear proper athletic outfits, like the other Olympic athletes not bikinis. It looks unprofessional for the Olympics. It's OK for the beach, perhaps.

Without this ratings would lose a large demographic.

Summer olympics remember beach. Voley and beach mixed...who does not like it? sun and fun

6 Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.

Every point is exciting. The best game in the olympics.

Good for building muscle and for competing!

7 Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each.
8 Football (Soccer)

Soccer shouldn't be in the Olympics it's so boring. RUGBY all the way.

It's so amazing, everyone should play it.

Most countries like soccer.
UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany have the famous leagues.
(I love Red Devils! (South Korea team)

9 Diving

Diving is a very undermined sport. Lots of people think they can just "pick the sport up" and that it is easy, but that is far from the truth. I takes lots of concentration, practice, and uses every muscle in your body. It is a very mental sport. People don't realize how fast you travel in the air and how much water can really hurt. When a diver jumps off ten meter (equivalent to a 3 story building) they travel at least 60mph before they hit the water. Synchronized diving is one of the hardest to master as well!

10 Judo Judo is a modern martial art and Olympic sport that originated in Japan. Created by Jigoro Kano in 1882, it focuses on throws, joint locks, and pins, emphasizing the efficient use of balance and leverage. Practitioners, known as judokas, wear special garments called "judogi," and they compete on a mat... read more

Most beautiful sport in the world.

Toughest sport in the world: aerobic, anaerobic, technical, tactical

The Contenders
11 Cycling

Cycling is a favorite, got 4 or 5 of them. Even reaches the Olympics as a contender. Many unique models which has biking even more so interesting. A good contraption, and has been proving that for a while now.

Cycling or Bicycles are intelligent and remain a great alternative over static or team sports.

12 Archery Archery is the sport, practice or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. The word comes from the Latin arcus.

Great sport. Requires the same amount of training but must keep adrenaline in check in order to aim and focus accurately.

Archery is an amazing sport, and is severely underestimated. I lovethis sport.

13 Weightlifting

It's just fantastic looking at 105+ category lifters' performance

14 Hockey
15 Equestrian

You get to see beautiful partnerships between horse and man, each one unique. Expect thrilling rides in cross country with treacherous jumps, unbelievable skill and beauty in dressage and massive flawless jumps in showjumping. Amazing.

If you have ever watched show jumping you would know of the incredible tension in the jump off!

Equestrian is the most passionate, beautiful, and skilled sport, Always so interesting and exciting to watch I LOVE it

16 Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" and "doubles".

Unlike other sports, big money has never tainted or entered the professional badminton arena. Therefore, from beginner to professional it is still a sport played for the sheer love and enjoyment of it. Just look at the immense dedication and extreme fitness levels required - and the height some players get in the jump smash - incredible. Hitting the shuttle at just under 500 kph (over 300 mph) make this the fastest racket sport in the world. And all for the love of the sport and not the money! Played all over the world by ALL age groups Badminton is simply not covered enough by the media - why not? - no big money to be won!

17 Shooting

I want to be a part of olympic shooting and so I have started 10 meter air rifle shooting. Because I wanr give an another level for shooting in the world

18 Table Tennis Ping-pong, or table tennis, is a sport where players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table.

Table Tennis, Handball, Football, Gymnastics, Football and Aquatics (inc diving) are the best in my opinion.

Because it really need a skills and determination. and also you need a concentration

19 Boxing Boxing is a martial art and combat sport in which two people wearing protective gloves throw punches at each other for a predetermined set of time in a boxing ring..

Well... Ireland do really well in this sport and have a big team in it and it is really entertaining to watch.

20 Swimming Swimming is an individual or team sport and activity. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with events in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Swimming is one of the most challenging sports out there, soI have to give swimmers a lot of credit.

Great sport if you want to keep your fitness up. I swim competitively and I love it.

I swim lots and it rules: it keeps you fit and healthy.

21 Rowing

So tough on the body but good for you.

22 Wrestling Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds.

Great sport.. One of those authentic sports like running where one does not need million dollar equipment.. And every nation can take part

23 Fencing

I just love to watch people fight with swords in the olympics it just makes me more EVIL!

24 Handball
25 Rugby Sevens

Best sport by far in the olympics. Non stop action. Like having international NFL but even more exciting.

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