Swimming gets the most attention during the Olympic Games and rightfully so. It is when the elite swimmers of each country compete against one another and every patriot loves cheering their fans on. Swimming, however, has many more competitions and tournaments which fans eagerly await.

Swimming is also a sport which often finds its way onto a bookmaker’s list of available sport to bet on. Swimming, being a niche sport, kind of, usually does not attract attention on its own, but fans of swimming and sports betting find their way to a bookmaker without a need for incentive. Even this promo from Betin would not be necessary.

But, is swimming a popular sport in the world? Is competitive swimming something people enjoy watching, and if yes, in which parts?

Swimming – Is It Popular at All?

Studies, surveys, and data, in general, have shown that swimming is a sport which always reaches the list of top 20 sports for each country tested. On the other hand, it has never gone above rank number 8. While it is immensely popular during the Olympic Games, its popularity fails to impress during the regular season.

There are some countries which value swimming more, like Australia, for example, having around 70000 registered swimming professionals. The United States is passionate about swimming, as well, as are many countries in Europe. When discussing swimming compared to other sports, you get an entirely different picture.

Swimming Compared to Other Sports

There isn’t a single country in the world which values swimming over all other sports, placing it as their number one. There are countries which encourage swimming and whose people are often passionate about it, but swimming always takes a nose dive on the popularity list when faced with football and basketball, not to mention hockey, cricket, and other sports which are immensely popular in some areas of the world. Competitive swimming has more to it than what you see in the Olympic Games

Competitive Swimming – Various Styles and Types

Competitive swimming can be done indoors or outdoors. Indoor swimming is done in a pool, usually regulated to Olympic standards while outdoor swimming is often called open water swimming. Open water swimming is an Olympic discipline, but only the 10-kilometer distance.

Open water swimming is usually a separate discipline which has its own tournaments and meets with indoor swimming at the World Championship and the Olympic Games.

The FINA Aquatics World Championships

The FINA World Aquatics Championships is an event which takes place every two years and was founded in 1973. The sports athletes compete in are swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming, high diving, and synchronized swimming. These sports attract a lot of athletes and a lot of people. The event takes place in a different host city every time, like many other major international sports events. It is safe to say that the World Championships affect the popularity of swimming and in a positive way. The World Championships and the Olympics are the two major events which attract new fans to swimming.

Swimming is a very interesting competitive sport, and an even better recreational activity. Swimming is popular throughout the world, but never so much that it will attract millions of fans, at least until the next Olympic Games.