Most Popular Sports
This list, published by CONI, refers to a survey made by ISTAT in 2000. Curiously, the sport that has brought the most success to Italy, fencing, with its 20,000 practicing, is not even in the top 25.
| # | Sport | People who practice | National teams | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Football (including futsal) |
4,363,000 | Football Futsal |
Football in Italy |
| 2 | Aquatic sports | 3,480,000 | Swimming Diving Water polo (men) |
|
| 3 | Gymnastics (including physical education) |
2,204,000 | ||
| 4 | Skiing | 2,060,000 | ||
| 5 | Cycling | 1,321,000 | Cycling | |
| 6 | Tennis | 1,298,000 | Davis Cup team Fed Cup team |
Tennis in Italy |
| 7 | Athletics (including road running) |
995,000 | Athletics | Athletics in Italy |
| 8 | Volleyball (including beach volleyball) |
988,000 | Volleyball (men) | |
| 9 | Basketball | 606,000 | Basketball | |
| 10 | Bodybuilding (including physical fitness) |
555,000 |
Read more about this topic: Sport In Italy
Famous quotes containing the words popular and/or sports:
“One knows so well the popular idea of health. The English country gentleman galloping after a fox—the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“...I didn’t come to this with any particular cachet. I was just a person who grew up in the United States. And when I looked around at the people who were sportscasters, I thought they were just people who grew up in the United States, too. So I thought, Why can’t a woman do it? I just assumed everyone else would think it was a swell idea.”
—Gayle Gardner, U.S. sports reporter. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 85 (June 17, 1991)