Paris 2024 Olympics: nearly a third of French people do not do sport… a worrying observation less than a month before the Games

Slightly fewer women than men practice regular physical activity. Free Midi – Vincent ANDORRA

According to a study carried out by Odoxa for the Federation of Supplementary Health Services, French people's participation in sports remains insufficient. And only 25% believe that the Olympics could encourage them to get active.

Almost a third of French people never or almost never play sports: France which is preparing to host the Olympic Games can do better in terms of sports practice, believe French mutual health insurance companies in a sports-health barometer published Tuesday.

According to an Odoxa survey carried out for the Mutualité (Federation of complementary health insurance with mutual status), six out of 10 French people do sport (sustained or moderate physical activity such as brisk walking) at least once a week.

72% of young people play sports every week

In detail, 32% do sports several times a week, and 29% at least once a week. But 15% of French people do sport less than once a month, and 15% never, also notes the survey, carried out among a representative sample of 3,000 French people. .

Also read: Obesity and overweight: one in two French people affected, what findings in Occitanie ?

Generally speaking, surveys on French sports practice present "encouraging" results, but with "margins for progress", estimates the Mutuality. "Sports practice is largely correlated with age (72% of young people play sports every week, compared to 57% of those over 50), as well as in the social environment (71% of executives play sports every week compared to 57% of workers)", regrets the Mutualité.< /p>

Less activity among workers

The social difference is also noticeable among children, with only 36% of workers' children doing sports several times a week, compared to 53% of executives' children.

Sports practice also varies depending on the region, with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region as champion of France (71 % of weekly practitioners), and Center Val de Loire and Hauts- de-France in the bottom red (respectively 54% and 52% of weekly practitioners), according to the Odoxa survey. Men are slightly more sporty than women, with 35% of them doing sports several times a week, compared to 29% for women.

Doctors blame smartphones

Doctors, questioned by the Mutualité in a separate survey (203 practitioners questioned), 94% believe that the French practice sport is insufficient, and 48% say that ;rsquo;they systematically raise the issue with their patients. 89% blame their patients' smartphones for this insufficient exercise, and 61% blame teleworking.

Will the Olympic Games in France increase sports participation in the country?? The French are apparently more optimistic for their neighbors than for themselves. 41% consider that the Olympics will "encourage people to play sport"… but only 25% think this will be the case for themselves…