101 days before the official launch of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, INSEE has just published, this Tuesday, a study on the sporting practice of French people, Ile-de-France residents and Parisians in 2022. And unlike the rest of France, where football dominates almost systematically the highest step of the podium, the inhabitants of the capital prefer tennis, as they did a decade ago.
In order, the yellow ball attracts more than horse riding (2nd) and golf (3rd) among Parisians, and more than football (second) and golf also (third) among Parisians. According to the spokesperson for the study, “it is rare that football does not come in first position, except in mountainous departments where skiing is the most practiced sport”.
Gym and judo for the youngest
Another specificity of the capital, Paris is located well below the national average in number of licenses deployed. Only 102 licenses are in fact issued in the City of Light per 1,000 inhabitants, while 157 are issued for the French average, and 139 for the average for the entire Île-de-France region.
Finally, 55% of licenses used are by young people aged under 20 in the Ile-de-France region. Among girls in this age group, gymnastics (up to 9 years old) then horse riding (up to 34 years old) are the most practiced sports, while boys favor judo before the age of 10, before to take up football until they are 34. Tennis comes next in good place, regardless of gender, and finally golf and hiking for seniors.