The bar chart illustrates data from a certain region, showcasing the number of adults participating in seven main sports in the years 1997 and 2017. The figures are presented in thousands.
Overall, the number of adult participants in five out of the seven sports (tennis, basketball, golf, football, and rugby) in 2017 exceeded that of 1997. In contrast, cricket lost its leading position. Meanwhile, swimming showed similar participation levels for both years.
In detail, approximately 35 thousand middle-aged male and female swimmers participated in both years, indicating a steady trend. The numbers for football, rugby, and basketball, however, surged significantly in 2017, with each sport approaching 50 thousand players. In comparison, football and rugby saw numbers slightly above 30 thousand in 1997, while basketball increased from 9 thousand to 23 thousand players.
Furthermore, tennis and golf experienced slight increases from 1997 to 2017, with nearly 5,000 and about 1,000 additional participants, respectively. Conversely, the number of participants in cricket declined dramatically in 2017, showing a decrease of almost 75% compared to 1997.
In conclusion, adults in this area opted to engage more in football, rugby, tennis, basketball, and golf in 2017 than in 1997. However, participation in cricket dropped significantly, while the number of swimmers remained unchanged.
