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Donall Farmer/INPHO
Fitness

The Irish gender gap in sport and exercise is getting smaller

Almost 1.7 million Irish adults take part in sport on a weekly basis, according to the latest Sports Council study.

THE GENDER GAP in sport and exercise is getting smaller, according to figures released by the Irish Sports Council today.

Almost 1.7 million Irish adults now take part in a sport on a weekly basis with a boom in running and personal exercise leading to a rise in female activity.

The 2013 Irish Sports Monitor reports that 42.7% of Irish women are regularly involved in a sport, a increase of 3.7% from the last report in 2011, while male numbers remain unchanged on average.

Overall, Irish participation in sport improved from 44.8% to 47.2% over the two-year period.

While more young females (20-44) are active there is a decline in the male 16-19 age group, dropping 4.9% to 82.4%.

“While they are still the most active sporting group of all, the Council recognises the importance of maintaining levels of participation through these key transition years,” chief executive John Treacy said.

Individual sports remain more significantly more popular than team sports. Exercise (12.2%), swimming (9.4%) and running (8.5%) have the highest participation rates ahead of team sports like soccer (5.9%) and GAA (4.0%).

Overall, 31.3% meet the national physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times a week while 12.6% are still considered “sedentary”.

That number continues to fall, however, showing a 5.6% decline since 2007.

Read the 2013 Irish Sports Monitor in full here >

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