Spearheading a drive to boost interest in winter sports

With the eyes of the world focused on Milano Cortina for the 2026 Winter Olympics, we’re excited to talk about some of the work General Sports Worldwide has been doing across winter sports.

We have been commissioned by the International Biathlon Union (IBU), International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and a number of other IFs and NGBs to deliver measurable, market-level fan insights across each sports’ global footprint and key territories.

They are being led by GSW’s Vice President – Executive Search, Strategic Consulting & Analytics, Cuyler Holmquist and it has proved to be a labour of love for the winter sports enthusiast.

He explained:

The work we have been doing for the IBU looks both backward (five years of historical trends) and forward (live tracking throughout the World Cup season) to better understand what truly drives interest, what suppresses it, and how those dynamics differ by geography, athlete performance and other factors.

“This kind of insight becomes especially important in Olympic years. The Games represent the pinnacle of attention for many winter sports, but the industry often relies on broad, headline numbers that lack context or comparability. Our approach focuses on consistent, comparable data across markets and time — helping rightsholders, broadcasters, and governing bodies better understand real audience flow and impact.

“We’re seeing fascinating dynamics across winter sport more broadly. For example, the return of NHL players to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 is likely to create a multiplier effect in the US and Canada but globally as well.”

We’re helping the IIHF to understand what that renewed interest could mean during the men’s and women’s tournaments and beyond the Games themselves.”

Once every four years the Winter Olympics throws a global spotlight on ice and snow sports and GSW is utilising its expertise to help federations capitalise on such exposure.

Cuyler adds:

For sports like biathlon a World Cup race may draw just 100,000 interested fans across the US but Olympic competition generates interest in 7-10 million Americans. Our work helps make a clearer case for long-term growth, investment, and visibility with partners such as broadcasters, the IOC, and stakeholders.

“Biathlon is a much bigger sport than one might realize, with over 100 million interested fans globally during World Championships and Olympics, with strong support in the Nordics, Alps nations and Central/Eastern Europe. Because the traditional markets are outside the Anglosphere, we tend to think of it as a much smaller sport than it actually is. The Olympics provide an opportunity to reach large audiences in East Asia, the UK, North America and elsewhere that may not have exposure to the sport.

“These kinds of engagements are why I love working in international sport – where competition is truly global and moments like the Olympics provide an opportunity to introduce, or reintroduce, incredible sports to the world.”