USA Swimming Readies for Record Growth in Olympic Wake

    Bolstered by record performances and high television ratings at the 2008 Olympic Games, USA Swimming is anticipating its largest single-year membership boost in history. With past Olympics sparking 5-10% increases in membership, USA Swimming hopes to see post-Beijing numbers surpass those marks.

The excitement surrounding the sport of swimming is undoubtedly at an all-time high,” said Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming’s executive director. “We absolutely expect that this sort of excitement and exposure will translate to membership growth at our clubs across the nation. The performances by our Olympic athletes were awe-inspiring, and NBC did a wonderful job of sharing those performances with a national audience. We are confident that those factors will inspire thousands to take up the sport.”

Following Michael Phelps’ six-gold-medal performance in 2004, USA Swimming saw year-round membership spike by 7%, the highest single-year gain for the organization in more than 10 years. Early indicators suggest that the 2009 bump will exceed that mark.

USA Swimming’s highest post-Olympic bump in history came in 1993, following the highly-viewed Olympics in Barcelona. That year saw a 10% increase in nationwide membership. In 1997, the Olympic Games in Atlanta sparked an 8% increase, and membership lifted 7% in 2005, after the Olympic Games in Athens.