Snowboarding & Figure Skating Most Popular at 2026 Winter Olympics

The U.S. Figure skating team has successfully defended its Olympic standing at the Milan Cortina Winter Games this week, securing a gold medal. While American Chloe Kim qualified in first place for the women’s halfpipe event, she ultimately earned a silver medal, following previous gold wins in the two prior Olympics.

Rising Popularity of Winter Sports

Fan Interest

Figure skating, with its complex jumps like the quadruple and Salchow, and snowboarding, featuring maneuvers such as the triple cork 1440 and method grab, are proving to be the most popular events among Winter Olympic viewers, according to pre-Games surveys.

Did You Know? Snowboarding has evolved from an Olympic novelty, debuting in 1998 with halfpipe and giant slalom events, to now feature 11 distinct competitions.

National Preferences

A recent survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Reviews.org revealed that 62% indicated they were most likely to watch snowboarding. Ski jumping followed closely at 58%, with figure skating (56%), hockey (54%), and speed skating (53%) rounding out the top five.

State-by-State Breakdown

The popularity of specific sports varies significantly across the United States. Snowboarding is the most watched sport in California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Interestingly, Utah residents favored bobsledding, potentially due to the presence of the Utah Olympic Park bobsled, luge and skeleton track in Park City.

Nationwide, curling leads in 13 states, figure skating in 10, snowboarding in 7, luge in 6, short-track speedskating in 2, and bobsled, biathlon, ice hockey, and speedskating each lead in one state.

Shifting Viewing Habits

Approximately 72% of Americans plan to watch the Milan Cortina Games, but how they consume the events is changing. While traditional television remains a primary method, social media is rapidly gaining traction, with 64% of respondents planning to follow the Olympics through clips on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Expert Insight: The increasing reliance on social media for Olympic highlights suggests a shift towards shorter-form content and on-demand viewing, potentially impacting the traditional broadcast model.

Current viewership numbers indicate a substantial increase compared to the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, with U.S. Coverage averaging 26.5 million viewers across various NBCUniversal platforms – a 93% increase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Winter Olympic sport is most popular overall?

According to a survey by Reviews.org, snowboarding is the most popular Winter Olympic sport, with 62% of Americans indicating they are likely to watch it.

What is the most popular sport in Utah?

Bobsledding is the most popular Winter Olympic sport in Utah, according to the Reviews.org survey.

How are Americans watching the Olympics?

While 59% of Americans plan to watch coverage on traditional TV or cable, 64% intend to follow the Olympics via social media clips, and 57% plan to use streaming services or apps.

As the Milan Cortina Games continue, will the trend of increased viewership and social media engagement continue to reshape how Americans experience the Winter Olympics?