The table illustrates the fluctuations in the proportion of people participating in seven sports in a European region from 1999 to 2009. Overall, it is clear that football was the dominant sport throughout this period, while yoga saw a contrasting trend in participation. Additionally, tennis and golf gained popularity among the population over time.
Focusing on the first two categories in the table, both tennis and swimming exhibited an upward trend in participation. In 1999, 25% of people played tennis, and this figure rose significantly to 30% in 2004 and 33% in 2009. Swimming also experienced a moderate increase, beginning with 32% in 1999, slightly growing to 34% in 2004, and remaining stable at that percentage through to 2009.
When examining football and golf, the discrepancies between the two sports are notable. Football led in participation throughout the entire period, starting with 57% in 1999 and falling to 48% by the end of the decade. Despite this decline, it still secured its place as the most played sport in the country. In contrast, golf started with the least participation, at 8% in 1999, which is a significant difference compared to football. However, golf saw a substantial increase, climbing to 17% in 2009.
As for volleyball, basketball, and yoga, these sports generally witnessed an increasing trend, with the exception of basketball. Volleyball began the period with 17%, rose to 20% in 2004, but then quickly dropped to 18% in 2009. Yoga also showed a slight increase of 3% in the final year; however, it was surpassed by golf and ended up with the lowest participation, at 13%. In contrast, basketball experienced a decline, with participation decreasing from 26% in 1999 to 24% in 2009.