The table depicts changes in the proportion of Europeans who showed interest in a range of sports over the ten-year period from 1999 and 2009.
Overall, despite some fluctuations in participation rates, the general preferences for sports did not vary significantly. Football remained the most popular sport throughout the period, albeit with a noticeable decline, while other sports recorded gradual increases.
Looking first at the upward trends over the period, tennis, swimming, golf, volleyball and yoga all saw growth, with golf showing a dramatic rise from 8% to 17%. Tennis also experienced a notable increase, rising from 25% to 33%. Following a similar pattern, swimming participation rose slightly by 2% to reach 34% in 2004 and remained stable until 2009. Additionally, volleyball participation rose to 20% in 2004, but then fell slightly to 18% by 2009, returning close to its 1999 level. The proportion of yoga practitioners stagnated at 10% between 1999 and 2004 before upturning to 13% in 2009.
Turning to sports with downward trends, football and basketball both saw decreases in participation. Football participants dropped from 57% to 52% between 1999 and 2004, before continuing a downward trend to 48% in 2009. Basketball participation gradually decreased from 26% in 1999 to 25% in 2004, and then to 24% by 2009.
