USA's Top 5 Olympic Sports

Contributed by Han Palframan.
Regional Director, USA Sport Group.

The highly anticipated Olympics in London are starting in the summer of 2012 and this always draws in billions of viewers from all around the globe. With people choosing which sports to watch, it raises the question of what Olympic sports are the biggest and most popular in America? These are my top five, let's see if you agree!

#5: Volleyball

Through college and university, volleyball has an ever growing following in our hot summer climate. With the women’s game being heavily sponsored throughout the USA, 300 schools sponsoring the game at varsity level, increasing resources are being utilized in the league format. This has resulted in it developing into one of the most hotly viewed Olympic sports.

#4: Track

From the 100m, 100m hurdles and 200m, to the 400m and 400m hurdles, the sprint events are by far the biggest around the world. In America, Michael Johnson is the only athlete in history to win the 200 and 400m at the same games!

#3: Swimming

Driven by Michael Phelps' medal run of 16 so far, swimming has generated a huge following in recent years. The mixture of styles that the Olympians are allowed to compete in make it captivating viewing. From butterfly to breast stroke and freestyle, the distance is also altered to allow athletes to compete in many events or to specialize in a few.

#2: Gymnastics

A huge amount of American fans who watch the Olympics at home are women, and they love gymnastics. Just look at how much gymnastics NBC airs, and that is sure to give you a rough guide of how much it is watched and followed.

#1: Basketball

With some of the biggest household names not just in America, but the world, the basketball competition at the London 2012 Olympics is set to be huge. Huge NBA stars join the team to be the best in the world, drawing yet younger budding athletes.