New Olympic sports popularity check: yay to climbing, nay to baseball
22.7.2021
Translation: Eva Francis
The 2021 Olympics will take place without an audience and are, unfortunately, likely to go down in history as the Corona Games. Let’s not sing the blues, but focus on the good news: five sports are making their debut in Tokyo. One of them is also a favourite of our Community members. Guess which one? Climbing.
While we’ve only just said goodbye to the European Football Championship, it’s already time for the next major sporting event. The Summer Olympics in Tokyo are kicking off on 23 July 2021. However, the thrill of anticipation isn’t upon most of us. Why? Tokyo has declared a coronavirus state of emergency, forcing the Olympic organisers to ban spectators.
Don't fancy watching sports without any ambiance? Here’s an idea: give one of the five debuting sports a go yourself! The new Olympic sports introduced to this year's games are sport climbing, surfing, skateboarding, karate and baseball. Read on to find out what the Galaxus Community makes of each one of them.
No run on baseball and karate
Based on our sales figures, our Community has clear preferences. Karate and baseball are the least popular among the five new Olympic sports. Sales of karate uniforms remain low, and baseball doesn’t seem to be as trendy as it was last year. While sales of baseball merchandise were booming in spring 2020, today, the sales figures are 63% below last year's coronavirus high.
Galaxus Community wants to view the world from above
It’s a different story when it comes to the other three new Olympic sports. Surfing, skating and climbing are very popular among Galaxus customers.
In terms of sales figures, surfing accessories recorded an all-time high in June 2021, clearly indicating a trend. Skating also enjoys great popularity in our Community. In June 2021, 50% more skateboards were ordered than the year before.
Our Community members’ clear favourite among the new Olympic disciplines is sport climbing. You’ll find more details on sport climbing below. The Galaxus Community is stocking up on climbing equipment, resulting in a sales increase of 100% in the first half of 2021. This includes sales of crampons and ice axes, for instance, which are both prohibited at the Olympics. Galaxus customers are purchasing even more climbing harnesses. On that note: safe climbing and enjoy your summer sports – with or without the Olympics!
Sport climbing at the Olympics in a nutshell
The competition mode for Tokyo is a newly created combination format, the Olympic Combined, which consists of the three disciplines lead climbing, bouldering and speed climbing.
Lead climbing: athletes are roped and climb up artificial walls resembling a rock face. The goal is to master a route within a predefined time limit with as few falls as possible – or to climb higher than the competition.
Bouldering: climbing without a rope at a height that allows you to jump down. The ideal sports for people like me who are afraid of heights.
Speed climbing: attached on a rope from above, climbers attempt to reach the top of a wall faster than their opponent.
Stephan Kurmann
Senior Communications Manager
stephan.kurmann@digitecgalaxus.chStudies claim that we have a shorter attention span than goldfish. Ouch! My job is to get your attention as often and for as long as possible. How? With content you enjoy. Outside of the office, you’ll find me on the tennis court, curled up with a book,Netflixing or travelling.