Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIESIN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTSAND CULTURE1998 > MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND SPORTS CHAPTER3 SECTION4 1

Exercise and sports awareness in other countries were examined with a focus on preference and participation.The results are as follows.

According to the1995"Physical Activity Monitor Report"of the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute,the activities with the highest rate of participation were:(1)walking,(2)gardening,(3)home exercise,(4)social dancing,(5)swimming,(6)bicycling,(7)skating,(8)baseball,(9)bowling,(10)jogging,(11)weight training and(12)golf.According to the1992survey conducted by Statistics Canada,3.2million Canadians aged15or older belonged to sports clubs and associations.That was about15%of the9.5million Canadians in that age group.

The national survey on sports activities in Sweden makes a distinction between the competitive sports population and tbe leisure sports population.The most popular sports in the latter category were:(1)skiing,(2)bicycling,(3)swimming,(4)gymnastics,(5)track and field,(6)walking,(7)badminton,(8)floor ball(players use plastic sticks to pass and dribble a ball,trying to shoot at the opponent's goal and score points),(9)golf and(10)tennis.Some4.4million Swedes belong to regional sports clubs(total:18,000)or sports associations(total:22,000).That accounts for about half of the Swedisb population of8.8million.

According to the results of the General Household Survey conducted by the Office of Population Census and Survey in1993,29million adults take part in sports or recreational activities at least once a month.This is roughly twothirds of the adult population in the country.As for sports orientation,there is declining participation in competitive sports(against opponents)and team sports,but an increase in fitnessoriented,largely non-competitive activities such as walking,swimming,bicycling,aerobics and weight training.Data show that11-16%of the population belong to sports clubs.

According to the National Health Survey conducted in1997,about4.7million Australians,or roughly one-third of the population aged15or older,were involved in sports in some capacs ity.The rate of participation for men was about40%and that for women about25%.The most popular sports,in order,were aerobics,golf,tennis,netball,lawn bowling and swimming.Australia has about24,000sports clubs and some6.5million people,or about one-third of tbe total population,are registered at them.