- The 2016 Olympics was the lowest-rated since 2000 and least-watched since 2004.
- Skateboarding, Surfing, Climbing and Karate are the new Olympic sports.
- Baseball and Softball also make a return to the games after nearly 15 years.
TOKYO – The Olympic Games haven’t had the same level of pull as in years past, at least that’s what the numbers say. The IOC is hoping that the addition of a handful of new events will help bring viewership back up to where it used to be.
The Olympics have been on a decline in viewership and in 2016, they capped off the lowest-rated and least-watched Olympics in years.
The opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics had just 29.3 million views, down from 40.7 million in 2021 and 34.9 million in 2008.
There’s no definitive reason as to why the viewership has gone down and it’s likely a compilation of a multitude of reasons, but the committee is hoping to combat this problem by adding five new sports that are also available for Olympic betting fans to take advantage of.
The Olympic Solution?
The 2021 Olympics will see skateboarding, surfing, climbing and karate make their Olympic debuts while baseball and softball (grouped as one event) make a reappearance after 13 years.
Those interested in taking part in the Olympic betting odds will now have a new slew of sports to watch and bet on.
Bovada is offering odds on most of the new events, favoring Japan in baseball, the USA in softball, the USA in men’s Olympic skateboarding, Brazil in women’s skateboarding, the USA and Brazil in surfing, with a mixed result in karate among the different weight classes.
Nobody knows for sure whether the addition of the new sports will have any sort of positive impact, but it’s a good sign that something new is being attempted as it’s fair to say the Olympic Games were getting a little stale in certain areas.