The bar chart compares the participation percentages for the ten most popular sports in Canada between 1998 and 2005.
Overall, it is clear that participation in almost every category declined over the period, with soccer being the only exception to this trend. Despite a general decrease in engagement, golf and ice hockey remained the two most practiced sports throughout the timeframe.
In 1998, golf led the rankings with a participation rate of approximately 22%, followed by ice hockey at 18%. By 2005, both figures had fallen slightly to 20% and 17.5% respectively. The most significant decline occurred in baseball, where participation plummeted from 16% in 1998 to approximately 7% in 2005, falling below the levels of basketball and swimming.
Regarding the remaining sports, soccer was the only discipline to see growth, rising marginally from 9% to 10%. In contrast, the other activities – including swimming, volleyball, and skiing – all saw varying degrees of decline. Tennis ended the period with the lowest participation rate, dropping from nearly 8% to just above 5% by 2005.