Expect Leeds to be the most sleep deprived city in England during the Olympic Games
Sporting Index surveyed the British public ahead of the Rio Olympics and found that staying up late to watch the games will cost the country up to 302 million lost hours of sleep.
The leading spread betting firm commissioned pollsters Opinium and found that Brits on average plan to go to bed 34 minutes later than normal to watch the Games.
Leeds residents plan to delay their bedtimes by 44 minutes, with Plymouth (40), Birmingham (38), London (37) and Nottingham (35) the top five cities to have come down with the worst cases of Olympics fever.
Of those planning to watch the games, 59 per cent responded that athletics was the event they were most looking forward to, with swimming (37%), gymnastics (34%), cycling (24%) and tennis (23%) rounding out the top five.
The research revealed that viewing preferences between the sexes were stark, with women almost five times more interested in the trampoline competition than their male counterparts (9% vs 2%), and twice as likely to tune into to the diving (30% vs 14%).
Beach volleyball is expected to attract the attention of three times as many British men than women (14% vs 5%), as will football (30% vs 11%) and boxing (24% vs 8%).
Despite UK Sport setting a target of 48 medals for British athletes in Rio, the British public were more cautious, predicting that Team GB will bring back just 32.
However, Sporting Index’s Olympics trading team expect Team GB to have their most successful ever away games, collecting 55 medals overall including 19 golds.
Ed Fulton, trading spokesman for Sporting Index, said: “The British public will be stocking up on tea and coffee over the next three weeks in a battle to stay awake after losing over 300 million hours of sleep due to the late night drama in Rio.
“The lost sleep will be worth it however as we think the 31st Olympiad will be Team GB’s best ever games away from home soil, with British athletes collecting 55 medals and finishing only behind the USA and China in the medal table.”
Source The Boxing News
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