A global study published before the Milano-Cortina Games found women’s events were as popular -or more popular- than men’s in most winter disciplines, highlighting growing expectations for gender equity in sport.
Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Parity, in partnership with SurveyMonkey, released an international study capturing fan sentiment entering the competition period.
The survey, which included 11,683 adults across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, found that women’s events were either as popular as or more popular than men’s events in most winter sports featured at the Games.
According to the research, women’s figure skating ranked as the most popular event overall, outperforming men’s figure skating by 15 percentage points -the largest gender gap in event popularity identified in the study. In 10 of the 15 sports that hosted both men’s and women’s competitions, women’s events either matched or exceeded the popularity of men’s events.
The study also indicated that among highly enthusiastic fans, 25% planned to follow more women’s events than in previous Olympic Games -suggesting growing momentum at the time of the survey.
When asked which athletes they were most excited to watch, 55% of respondents cited women athletes, compared with 45% who named men. The findings reflected shifting audience dynamics ahead of the Winter Games.
Beyond event popularity, the research highlighted expectations around equity. Majorities of respondents agreed that sponsors should invest marketing dollars equally between women and men athletes, although many believed commercial investment had not yet fully aligned with fan interest.
Now that the Winter Olympics have concluded, the study stands as a valuable pre-Games benchmark of audience sentiment and expectations surrounding women’s sport.
At WPA, we view this research as an important indicator of where audience expectations are heading. Regardless of short-term event outcomes, the data captured a clear trend: fans are paying attention to women’s sport at scale and expect investment and visibility to reflect that interest. For the sports industry, the opportunity lies in responding strategically to that demand over the long term.
Photo Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
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