Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games inspires Kiwis to go for gold

New research commissioned by The Warehouse suggests that more than a third of Kiwis are feeling inspired to have a go and try the sports of their Olympic heroes after watching this year’s Olympics.

The independent research polled more than 1,000 representative Kiwis, 80% of whom watched the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, to discover their sporting intent and the events that had inspired them.

Jonathan Waecker, Chief Customer Officer at The Warehouse Group, commented on the research.

“These Summer Olympic Games gripped the nation, and our research indicates that Kiwis everywhere not only felt a sense of pride as we brought home the 20 medals but were also inspired to get active. Especially children, with over one in four parents saying their kids were likely to start a new sport in the near future. At The Warehouse, we’re a great supporter of this and helping to make it easier for Kiwi kids to start something new.”

Almost one in five respondents selected kayaking or rowing when asked which sport motivated them the most. Lisa Carrington and her three gold medals were a huge inspiration. Other sports that motivated Kiwis were aquatics (including swimming and diving), rugby 7s, track and field athletics, and gymnastics, which rounded out the top five.

“We compared our website traffic from the Olympic fortnight with the two weeks preceding the games and saw a significant spike in interest for products related to sports and outdoor gear during the Olympic Games period.

“These spikes mainly relate to cycling, tennis, aquatics, trampolining and kayaking – all sports our Olympians have performed well in. During a period that’s usually pretty quiet for summer sporting equipment, this is more than a little unusual.”

The top five products that saw a significant increase on The Warehouse website were goggles (97%), tennis rackets (34%), youth and adult bikes (20%), kayaks (20%) and trampolines (14%).

“At The Warehouse, we’re passionate about supporting all New Zealand communities, and this is what drove us to sponsor the New Zealand Olympic Team – as just like the Olympic athletes, we are in every corner of New Zealand. I’d like to think that right now, some future stars have been watching the Tokyo 2020 and, feeling inspired, have headed down to The Warehouse to pick out their first bat, racket or ball and are on their way to discover their sporting passion”.