Paris Olympics 'Indifferent'... Only 4 out of 10 People Show "Interest"

"Smallest Team in 48 Years... Expectations Lowered"

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the cheers for 'Daehanminguk' (South Korea) might not be heard. Public interest in the Olympics has decreased, and expectations for South Korea's performance are not high.

The market research firm 'Embrain Trend Monitor' announced the results of a '2024 Paris Olympics Awareness Survey' conducted on the 19th, targeting 1,200 men and women nationwide aged 13 to 69.

Overall public interest in the Olympics was found to be not very high. The percentage of respondents who answered "somewhat interested" was 44.2%, which is slightly lower compared to the previous Winter Olympics.

Paris Olympics. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this, Embrain analyzed, "The South Korean team is participating with the smallest delegation in 48 years, and major popular sports such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball failed to qualify, which has reduced expectations." In fact, 30.3% of respondents said they were "not interested," followed by 25.6% who said their interest was "average."

Expectations for South Korea's overall performance were also not high. Only 4 out of 10 respondents (42.2%) expected South Korea to finish within the top 10.

This survey also confirmed changes in South Korea's Olympic cheering culture. In the past, many people gathered with acquaintances to watch Olympic broadcasts together, but this time only 30.2% said they would watch in groups. Embrain interpreted this as an increase in individuals selectively watching desired events through online streaming platforms and other services.

The events that Koreans were most interested in at this Olympics were archery (56.3%, multiple responses allowed), soccer (41.8%), swimming (33.4%), fencing (27.7%), taekwondo (27.3%), and badminton (22.3%). Interest generally tended to vary according to athletes' "medal-winning potential." In particular, interest was notably high in sports like archery, where Korean athletes have consistently achieved excellent results in international competitions.

This Olympics saw a generally lower level of public interest as popular sports like soccer, which usually attract national attention, failed to qualify for the main event.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the case of soccer, although it is difficult to expect a medal due to elimination in the qualifiers, many respondents (56.9%) said "watching the game itself is interesting." Also, a large number of respondents (39.3%) said they would watch the broadcast "because they are curious about which country will win a medal."

Medal acquisition was a national focus of interest at this Olympics as well. Among all respondents, 76.3% answered, "A high medal ranking for the South Korean team is a source of pride."

However, there was also a tendency to encourage all athletes participating in the games regardless of their results. Among respondents, 77.6% agreed with the opinion that "all Olympic athletes should be well treated regardless of the medal color."

Additionally, 76.1% responded that they "support athletes who lose gracefully rather than those who win," confirming that the past 'gold medal supremacy' tendency is gradually fading.