Which Sports Have Gained Popularity in Estonia in Recent Years?

The Estonian sports scene has become more diverse in recent years than one might think at first glance. Yes, basketball remains the national sport, while soccer is gaining more and more fans, and skiing is an essential part of the winter lifestyle. However, in addition to these, many new sports have emerged that are not just temporary fads, but show stable and measurable growth. There are three main factors behind this growth: Estonia's top athletes, who inspire the whole country; new global sports that are ideally suited to Estonia's natural conditions and digital lifestyle; and the growing culture of betting and sports consumption. How do amateur activities affect sports careers? Let's take a closer look at the numbers and facts this shows us.

Disc Golf – The Phenomenon of a Single Player

Over the past decade, disc golf has gone from being a rare sport to a mass hobby in Estonia, and behind this growth is one name: Kristin Lätt (formerly Tattar). The Pärnu-born athlete won the 2022 and 2023 PDGA World Championships and is the highest-ranked female player of all time in this sport, becoming the first woman in history to achieve a PDGA rating of 1000 in 2024. The sports statistics platform VivatBet shows that the growth in popularity of disc golf has been measurably faster than any other sport in Estonia in recent years, which is also reflected in the betting market's interest in international tournaments in this sport. According to Disc Golf Metrix, the number of registered disc golf players in Estonia grew by 12.4% in 2023 to a total of 29,506 players, with a total of 482,170 rounds played on over 100 courses across the country.

The practical appeal of disc golf lies in its accessibility: most courses in Estonia are located in public parks and nature areas, and playing is free of charge. In July 2024, the European Disc Golf Festival was held at Lauluväljak in Tallinn, which was the first DGPT Pro Tour event in Estonia, and in 2025, a Majors-level tournament – the equivalent of Wimbledon in this sector – was also held in Tallinn. With these events, Estonia has established itself as the center of European disc golf, which means that the sport is not just a hobby, but is becoming an important driver of tourism.

Padel – A Playing Area That Is Always Full

Padel has grown from zero to around 100 courts in Estonia over the last decade, and demand clearly exceeds supply. In April 2025, Siim Tuus, manager of the new sports center in North Tallinn, said that courts can usually be booked a week in advance – at other times, they are fully booked. There are an estimated 5,000 padel players in Estonia, most of whom started playing in the last five years. In an international context, padel is currently the fastest growing sport in the world: According to the 2025 Global Padel Report by Playtomic and PwC Strategy&, 3,282 new padel clubs will open worldwide in 2024 – an average of one club every 2.5 hours – and there will be over 50,000 padel courts in the world.

The rise in popularity of padel in Estonia follows the global pattern exactly. A sport that can be learned in less than two hours, promotes social interaction as a doubles game, and is pleasantly fast-paced on small courts, it is ideally suited to the lifestyle of Estonia's urbanizing population and active adults. Industry data shows that 92% of first-time padel players come back – this is described in industry terminology as a "sticky sport." The construction of new halls in Tallinn, Tartu, and elsewhere shows that infrastructure investment has reached a level where padel is no longer a niche sport, but part of the city's everyday range of sporting activities.

Three Sports That Are on the Rise in the Betting Landscape

The Estonian sports betting market is growing at the same pace as the popularity of sports. The structure of betting accurately reflects which areas have gained momentum, with three sports clearly standing out in terms of viewership, participation potential, and international significance. The table below provides an overview of the three growing sports and their current situation in Estonia:

The table shows that growth has occurred at different levels in all three areas – one through viewership, the second through an increase in betting volume, and the third through the organization of major events. The following facts illustrate in more detail the rate at which the popularity of these areas has grown:

• Biathlon audience: The BMW IBU World Cup stages in Otepää attract tens of thousands of spectators; According to Visit Europe, nearly 10% of the entire Estonian population watches biathlon on TV in winter, which is one of the highest viewing rates for a single sport in the country. Otepää will host a World Cup stage in March 2026 and the BMW IBU World Championships in February 2027.
• eSports: The popularity of eSports has grown rapidly among young people in Estonia, and the betting sector has responded accordingly – According to Oddin.gg's 2024 report, global eSports betting turnover grew by double digits in 2024, and the platform now has more than 30 regularly covered titles, including CS2, Dota 2, and League of Legends.
• Basketball at the international level: Estonia, together with Greece, Slovenia, and Spain, will host the 2029 European Basketball Championship – EuroBasket 2029 –, which will be the country's first experience of hosting a major tournament and is likely to be the most powerful boost to the popularity of basketball betting in the coming years.

These three areas are not comparable in terms of volume, but they have one thing in common: Estonian sports consumers are increasingly moving between different sports, and their betting choices are becoming more diverse.

What This Change Means for Sports Fans

The expansion of the Estonian sports landscape does not only mean a wider choice of sports to participate in – it also means a richer culture of watching sports and betting. International disc golf tournaments in Tallinn, the rapid growth of padel courts, Otepää becoming the world's premier winter paradise for biathlon, and EuroBasket 2029 – all these events bring international attention and investment in sports infrastructure to Estonia. For sports enthusiasts, this is nothing but positive – more choice, more experiences, and more reasons to follow these sports through statistics and results.