Sport

Gender divide reflected in Irish spectators’ interests as Olympics beckons

Men and women united in ranking athletics as one of the most appealing contests for fans

The entrance of the athletes' village for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics game, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Photograph: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images
Saedullah Safi
Fri Jul 19 2024 - 06:00

Irish women are more likely to follow gymnastics and swimming in the upcoming Olympics, and Irish men more likely to follow football, rugby sevens and boxing, a poll by researchers Ipsos has found.

However, both men and women are united in ranking athletics as one of the most appealing contests for spectators.

The findings are contained in a 33-country study on attitudes to the 2024 Paris Games.

Public interest in this year’s Olympics is greater than in the Tokyo Games, the study finds, but there are country variations. Interest is highest in China (86 per cent saying they are “very” or “somewhat” interested) and lowest in Belgium (38 per cent) and Japan (40 per cent). Ireland (57 per cent) was at the average across all countries and ahead of hosts France (44 per cent).

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The survey was conducted by Ipsos through online interviews with 24,531 adults, including 501 in Ireland, in May and June.

Among Irish respondents, athletics was ranked as one of the most eagerly-awaited areas of competition by 31 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women.

There were gender differences for other competitions. Asked which three events they were most looking forward to, 36 per cent of men identified football, 27 per cent boxing, 18 per cent rugby sevens and 16 per cent golf.

Among women, 36 per cent named gymnastics, 27 per cent aquatics, 20 per cent football, and 16 per cent boxing.

The survey also shows younger generations have more interest in team sports like football and basketball, while older generations prefer traditional Olympic sports such as athletics and aquatics.

Among Baby Boomers (aged 57-75), nearly half (47 per cent) are most interested in athletics or track and field events. Aquatics and rugby sevens each capture the interest of 24 per cent of Baby Boomers, followed closely by gymnastics (23 per cent) and boxing (22 per cent).

Gen X (aged 41-56) also prefers athletics (40 per cent), but football (34 per cent) and boxing (28 per cent) are close contenders. Gymnastics (26 per cent) and aquatics (21 per cent) remain popular among this generation as well.

Millennials (aged 25-40) favour football (30 per cent) and gymnastics (26 per cent). Athletics track and field events (20 per cent), aquatics (18 per cent), and boxing (17 per cent) round out their top five sports.

Gen Z (aged 9-24) shows a clear preference for football (28 per cent), followed by boxing (21 per cent) and basketball (20 per cent). Gymnastics and aquatics each capture the interest of 18 per cent of Gen Z respondents.

The survey also highlights the impact of the Olympics on physical activity. Almost half of Irish people anticipate that the Olympics will inspire them to dust off their trainers to increase their exercise, with four out of five believing the Games will inspire the next generation to participate in sports.

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Jessica Hearne, senior research executive at Ipsos B&A said: “The Olympics encourage many of us to get more active; however, the real impact is likely to be seen among children who will be watching sports they often wouldn’t see on television. This is where many see an important role for the Olympics in encouraging the younger generations to swim, run, or try gymnastics in their gardens.”