News story

London 2012 brings a boom to women’s sports participation

One million more women are taking part in sport since the London 2012 Olympic bid was won in 2005.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

One million more women are taking part in sport since the London 2012 Olympic bid was won in 2005.

The figures from our latest Taking Part Survey show that 8.7 million women are playing sport or taking part in recreational walking or cycling for 30 minutes a week, compared to 7.7 million in 2005/06.

 ”The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games showed women’s sport at its very best with some inspirational performances from British female athletes,” said Culture Secretary Maria Miller.

“I am encouraged that more women are taking up sport and leading healthier lifestyles and we want to build on this progress further, by pushing for women’s sport to stay in the spotlight and encouraging more females to get involved.”

Cultural visits increase

In other sectors Taking Part shows that a record number of adults (74 per cent) visited a heritage site in the last year, up four per cent since 2010/11. Attendance rates at museums and galleries are also at their highest level since the survey began in 2005/06.

Further information

Published 14 December 2012