Is there a problem with sport participation in the UK?

The latest Active People Survey from Sport England has, perhaps surprisingly, indicated an overall fall of 125,100 less people playing sport for at least 30 minutes at  a moderate intensity.  During the period Oct 2014 to Oct 2014, 15.7m people aged 16 or older played sport at this level - this is down 125,100 on the previous report (but up 1.63m compared to 2005/6).

The biggest loser seems to have been swimming which has seen a 245,000 fall in participation numbers over the last year, even though 2.69m people swam at least once a week for 30 minutes between October 2013 and October 2014.

"I am disappointed with these figures, said Sport England chief executive Jennie Price.  Swimming has lagged behind running and the gym in terms of offering an attractive, modern experience to people who want to play sport and exercise.  That has to change and to change quickly."

 Jennie Price, chief executive, Sport England

Swimming remains the country's most popular sport but Price added she was "very concerned" about the drop in numbers.  The outcome of Sport England's latest survey means that swimming, along with other sports such as basketball, must wait until March to find out if its funding is affected.  

The report can be found at: http://www.sportengland.org/research/who-plays-sport/