Playing sport

It was reported in 1999 that one in four European Union inhabitants take part in sporting activities. While more than 80% of adult Finns practise a sport, the proportion drops to 23% in Italy. Children and adolescents engage in competitive sports in very large numbers. In Sweden, more than half the children between ages of 6 and 11 practise competitive sports, or at least take part in sports in an organized context. This is also true of one youngster in three in Finland, roughly one in five in the UK and the Netherlands, and one in 10 in Italy. In the case of youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16 years, three out of four engage in competitive sports in Finland, one in three in the UK and the Netherlands and nearly one in five in Italy.