The Olympic Games have once again proven to be the great global showcase for sports. The latest example of its power is in the fabulous digital audience data recorded by World Aquatics during Paris 2024 through its swimming, diving and diving (springboard) and water polo disciplines. Water has achieved unprecedented statistics on World Aquatics’ digital platforms.
The Paris La Defense Arena, the Olympic Aquatics Center and the iconic Seine River were the main venues where 1,439 competitors from 191 countries battled it out in disciplines that accounted for a total of 49 aquatic medal events, all captured and shared instantly with fans around the world thanks to World Aquatics‘ digital content. It is the international federation that hands out the most gold, silver and bronze medals at an Olympic Games, and its responsibility rose to the occasion.
As such, not only were records broken with the swimsuit on, World Aquatics’ digital audience also reached astounding figures such as an increase of 1.1 million new followers during Paris 2024, to 5.6 million global fans today. This is a significant improvement over Tokyo 2020, with a 1,800% growth in social media impressions during the Olympic period.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT, THE SUCCESS OF ITS ‘LATE SHOW’
One of the big successes was the original programming and carefully selected archival content, which boosted audience figures in Paris. Among the outstanding projects was the launch of the late-night program ‘About Last Night’, which recapped the swimming medal sessions. Olympic stars and world champions joined hosts John Mason and Bailey Jackson in the studio, providing rich post-competition analysis and details about what happened.
Another attraction was the direct interaction with athletes, both current and retired, providing exclusive updates from the French capital. This included the ‘AQUA Fan Van,’ where presenters interacted with fans in the streets and tourist areas of Paris, organizing games and activities to engage the audience. “With our ‘About Last Night’ and ‘AQUA Fan Van’ programs, we gave fans unique ways to connect with us and experience the excitement of the Olympic Games,” said Luca Fasani, Digital Director, World Aquatics. “The excitement of the event was in the air, and we are proud to have achieved some of our best work to celebrate aquatic sports in Paris.”
34 MILLION VISITS ON THE WEBSITE DURING 2024
The World Aquatics website was also a hub of extensive content and live results. With more than 1.5 million unique visitors and over 34 million page views in the last year, which included the World Championships in Fukuoka (2023) and Doha (2024), last season was the most followed period in the history of aquatics sports.
With a promising lineup of upcoming events, such as the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore 2025 and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, World Aquatics looks forward to continuing this momentum, delivering unforgettable experiences and increasing fan engagement in the future.
