Most popular sports events worldwide 2022

Sports leagues and events not only offer world class athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills, they also provide a platform to inspire and unite people across the globe. Two of the most popular sports events in the world are the Summer Olympic Games and the FIFA Football World Cup. Both these events have massive global followings and have become cultural touchstones, bringing together people from all walks of life and different countries.

The Summer Olympic Games

The Summer Olympic Games are held every four years and bring together athletes from around the world to compete in various sports. The Summer Olympics are known for their diversity, featuring sports like swimming, gymnastics, athletics, and more. In 2022, the Summer Olympic Games were found to be the most popular sporting event worldwide based on a global survey. The survey revealed that 58 percent of respondents expressed some level of interest in following the Summer Olympics, highlighting the event's widespread appeal.

Tokyo 2020

The most recent edition of the Summer Olympic Games took place in Tokyo, Japan in 2021. The Games were originally scheduled for 2020, but were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tokyo Olympics featured 33 different sports and over 11,000 athletes from around the world competing in 339 medal events. The United States topped the medal table with a total of 113 medals, followed by China with 88 medals. The Tokyo Olympics also marked the first time that new sports such as surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing were included in the Olympic program.

The FIFA World Cup

The FIFA Football World Cup is another sporting event that has garnered a massive global following. The World Cup is held every four years, with teams from around the world competing to be crowned champions of the world. The 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup was hosted by Qatar from November 20 to December 18, 2022. Argentina emerged as the winners, with Lionel Messi leading the team to victory against France in the final. The tournament featured 32 teams, hosted across eight stadiums in Qatar, and was the first World Cup held in an Arab nation and only the second in Asia. Despite accusations of corruption, bribery, and cheating by the Qatar bid committee to obtain hosting rights, an internal FIFA investigation found no wrongdoing. However, the event faced a substantial amount of criticism for the treatment of migrant workers in stadium construction and for the treatment of women and the LGBT community within Qatar.