Italians get back to practising sport. After the decline registered between 2010 and 2013, sport participation levels have started to grow again in 2014 and 2015, by 2.7%. This is the snapshot provided by the Italian National Institute for Statistics (here the complete study) and presented today in Rome, at the Comprehensive School "A. De Curtis" by the President of the Italian National Institute for Statistics, Giorgio Alleva, and CONI President Giovanni Malagò.

"We are at the boundaries of Tor Vergata, where our dream is to bring the Olympics and the Olympic Village - emphasises Malagò -. But think what these numbers mean, not only for this city: from 13 September 2017, if everything went well, and until 2024 there will be a great impact even beyond the sport system of our country". The presentation "Sport in figures and sport practice amongst the youth" was attended by the Headmaster of the School, Serafina Di Salvatore, the Managing Director of CONI SERVIZI Alberto Miglietta, CONI President for the Lazio region Riccardo Viola, the President of the Bowls Federation Romolo Rizzoli and the President of City VI (VI Municipio) Marco Scipioni. But students were visited also by testimonials such as Alessandra Sensini, Andrea Lucchetta, Carlo Molfetta, Rosalba Forciniti, Edwige Gwend, Giovanni di Cristo and Andrea Lemmi, who led some games in the gym.

"The responsibility of schools in the promotion of sport is great - acknowledges Alleva -, together with the promotion of the wellness of citizens and of the cultural value of sport. These numbers offer an interesting picture, also from the economic point of view. We focus on sport activities undertaken for leisure. In 2015, just under 20 million people declared they practice one or more sports, a third of the resident population. The important news is that after the decline observed between 2010 and 2013, participation levels have started growing again. In the last two years, in which other indicators have shown less exciting performances, there is a significant increase in practising individuals. Sport seems to be an element on which people have continued to invest".

"It is not by chance that a school of this type was conceived - explained Malagò - , today we are in the ninth Italian city in terms of number of inhabitants. This VI City has 390 thousand inhabitants, there there are 160 schools and in this school the percentage of integrated immigrants is nearly 30%. Here there are 44 different ethnic groups. And these figures have improved also and especially thanks to the contribution of immigrants".

According to the study by the Italian National Institute for Statistics, the increase is noticeable in all age classes, but with a more significant growth amongst children from 6 to 10 years old (where the proportion has gone from 59.5% to 65.3%) and amongst people that live in the municipalities within the metropolitan area. "The presence of the President of the Italian National Institute for Statistics - continues Malagò -, certifies with its authority and that of the Institute he represents, that there is surely a benefit in what we are doing across the country. Today's data are excellent. It has been demonstrated that every percentage point regained makes the State save 80 million euros and today overall it has an impact of one and a half billions on the State balance. We are on the right track, but we must continue. I am very happy to celebrate the three years of my presidency with these data, now comes the fun bit: we are gaining presence amongst those who used to practice sport sporadically and here we can do more. And we must continue to work on the theme of overweight, obesity and less severe obesity. There is an integration between sport practice and correct nutrition. There is a cultural problem: paradoxically in the less rich areas there is a higher rate of obesity". The habit to practice a sport, indeed, diminishes as one goes from North to South, from 39% to 23.9%, even if the percentage rises to 26.8 amongst residents of Sicily and Sardinia. The investigation conducted by the Italian National Institute for Statistics has also shown pronounced gender differences: 28.3% of males practices a sport and another 11.4% does so sporadically; the percentages for females are instead down to 19.5% and 7.7%. Only amongst the youngest (3-5 years) is there a greater incidence of females that do a sport, a trend that makes us hope for the future. Furthermore, the sport practice of parents positively influences the sport practice of children. Organised sport practice is directly connected to CONI, through the National Sport Federations (FSN) and the Associated Sport Disciplines (DSA) and the Agencies for the Promotion of Sport Directors, coaches, officials, other roles, sports operators, Affiliates registered, Directors, coaches, Amateurs with membership, Athletes with membership, Practising individuals, Entities registered, Affiliates registered (EPS), which remains the pillar of the Italian sporting system.

In 2015, according to the data supplied by the Committee, there are 11,103,000 practising individuals and athletes, of which 4,471,000 with membership to FSN and DSA and 6,635,000 to EPS. The sport clubs registered with CONI are 119,000 The number of affiliates reaches 146,000. The voluntaries performing support activities (as directors, coaches and officials) are instead 1,193,000. Every 100,000 inhabitants there are around 7,350 athletes with a membership to FSN and DSA, whereas the practising individuals registered with EPS are more than 10,000. Around 55% of athletes registered with FSN and DSA are less than 18 years old. There are 118,723 sport clubs. These are distinct legal entities enrolled in the Register, 95% of which are associations without legal personality. The affiliation relations that characterise amateur sport are 146,000. FSNs contribute with 50,521 registered members, DSA with 3,407 members and EPS with 92,013 members. Lombardy is the region with the highest absolute number both of athletes (844 thousand) and practising individuals (913 thousand) and both of affiliates and distinct entities (16,800).

The study by the Italian National Institute for Statistics analyses also the costs sustained by Italians. In 2014, 21.6% of families resident in Italy (more than 5,500,000) incurred in expenses to practice sport activities; 4.3% (more than 1,100,000 families) spent money for sport equipment. Amongst families that spend to practice a sport, the average monthly expense is 48 euros (1.4% of the average monthly expenses for household consumption). The percentage of families that incur in expenses for sport practice is higher in couples with children; if children are two, more than 40% of families incurs in this type of expense; if children are 3 or more, such percentage goes down to 37%. Probably this is due to budget constraints, which are stronger for more numerous families. Furthermore, the expenses destined to sport practice grow as the financial resources of the family grow.

The quantification of the economic value of sport is also interesting. Focusing on the private "business" sector and considering the main productive sectors directly linked to sporting activities (therefore not only the management of sport facilities but also manufacturing and commercial activities related to sport), the firms are nearly 35,000, employing more than 100,000 people; they make more than 4.5 billions of added value and around 14 billion turnover. Between 2008 and 2013, employees have risen in the services sector and declined in the manufacture and trade.

But, as stated above, sport results in benefits also for the Italian Healthcare system. CONI's Research Centre has quantified that healthcare and other savings that are being made by the current levels of sport and physical practice detected in 2015 is of more than 1.5 billion euros per year. Indeed, physical activity reduces the probability of becoming affected by five pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, ictus, colon cancer, breast cancer and type II diabetes. Furthermore, it is estimated that a reduction in sedentary people by 1 percent (around 215,000 people) could bring an annual incremental benefit of around 80 million euros in healthcare and other savings.

To further promote this trend, this year the Italian Olympic Committee, in collaboration with the Prime Minister's Office, launched CONI RAGAZZI (YOUTH), a social, sporting and educational project born to bring into practice the principle that it is everyone’s right to access sport; to provide a sport and social service to the community and support the families that have more financial difficulty in areas of social malaise, identified thanks to a collaboration with ANCI's Research centre. From Milan to Agrigento, these areas include 300 municipalities, 300 facilities, more than 500 sport clubs (mostly belonging to 50 sports) and around 14,000 youth (of which 67% coming from families with ISEE earnings below 7,500 €and 80% from families with ISEE earnings below 12,000 €, who participate in a information campaign on correct lifestyles, carry out afternoon sport activities two hours a week (from November 2015 to June 2016) benefiting also from a shuttle service that links them to the facilities that are more difficult to reach.