Olympic Games Inspire ’Generation Y’ to Choose Real Over Virtual Sport

Visa survey shows football, swimming and tennis most popular sport for people aged 18 to 24 years

Singapore.-Young people in Asia Pacific are more likely to put aside their computer games in favor of watching the best athletes in the world compete, according to a Visa survey on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.[1] Nearly three out of four people (74 percent) aged 18 to 24 years said they were interested or very interested in watching the Olympic Games.

Football is the top sport for this demographic across the region, with nearly half (48 percent) planning to watch the sport during the Games. Swimming is the next most popular event for young people (39 percent), followed by tennis (34 percent).

Richard Chang, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Visa Greater China and the Philippines said: “In this computer-dominated age, it is great to see that young people are keen to watch real-time sporting events such as the Olympic Games. It is exciting to see the youth of the region getting behind the Olympic Games spirit by taking an interest in the Games.”

While 96 percent of people intend to watch the Games from their homes, young people are also more likely than the regional average to watch the Games at their friends’ and relatives’ homes.

A higher-than-average percentage of ’Generation Y’[2] (60 percent) were interested in the Olympic Games regardless of where it is hosted, although they also indicated a higher-than-average interest in Beijing as the host city.

Chang said: “Young people across the region appear to be getting into the spirit of the Olympic Games by getting out and celebrating with other people. Visa is committed to uniting the world through sport and we’re excited to see that the newest generation of sports fans are taking this to heart.”