In the wake of the Paris Olympic Games, several sports have seen a significant increase in the number of licensees. Table tennis has experienced a nice “Lebrun effect”, but certain disciplines do better.
This is one of the main aspects of the Olympic Games, and this is why it is essential for certain sports not to be missed. For certain little-publicized disciplines, the Olympics offer a spotlight which allows their athletes to gain notoriety and which, secondly, allows them to convert new followers.
Shall we schematize? A kid who watched the Olympic Games this summer may have wanted, at the start of the school year, to do like the Lebrun brothers, like Léon Marchand, or like Earvin Ngapeth. The first results are already being felt, and the Sport Tricolore account has compiled some figures.
Triathlon at its best
The big winner is… triathlon. After Cassandre Beaugrand's superb gold medal in Paris, and a very good overall performance from all the athletes, the triathlon recorded the strongest increase, with +32% of licensees since the start of the school year. Fencing, which shone under the gold of the Grand Palais, is also doing very well, as is badminton, very prominent during the Paralympic Games.
What about table tennis then? “Ping” has enjoyed great popularity, particularly around the brothers Alexis and Félix Lebrun. This also gives a nice increase (+20%), even if the Lebrun brothers are therefore “beaten” by Cassandre Beaugrand and her gang. In the remainder of this unofficial ranking, we will mention the significant increases also experienced by archery and volleyball, which also well deserved their Olympic effect.
Curiously, despite the exploits of Teddy Riner or Léon Marchand, judo and swimming are a little further behind. But these are two historic disciplines of French sport, which have not necessarily constituted a discovery or a revelation for the French public.
