Most popular sports in France
In 2005, more than 15 million people joined a sport club. Soccer is the favourite sport in France with more than 2 million players, followed by Tennis. Here is a list of the 15 most popular sports in France: (the prices indicate the cost of the basic equipment for each sport and do not include the price of the license. You need to pay an additional cost to get it if you want to play tournaments and therefore get a ranking).
1) Soccer (2 146 752 players), (19 103 clubs), (90 € a year)
2) Tennis (1 054 513 players), (8 572 clubs), (160 €)
3) Judo (539 733 players), (5 547 clubs), (80 €)
4) Horse-riding (515 000), (6 375 clubs), (120 €)
5) Basketball (447 942 players), (4 609 clubs), (90 €)
6) Pétanque (376 000 players), (6 625 clubs), (80 €)
Pétanque, which is a game from south France, is a version of the game of boules played on a variety of hard surfaces. Standing with their feet together, players throw steel bowls towards a wooden jack.
7) Golf (368 741 players), (1 200 clubs), (500 €)
8) Handball (337 971 players), (2 415 clubs), (90 €)
9) Canoeing (254 618 members), (700 clubs), (100 €)
10) Sailing (254 221 members), (1 100 clubs), (80€)
11) Swimming (246 315 swimmers), (1 250 clubs), (80€)
12) Gymnastics (245 301 members), (1 619 clubs), (60€) 
13) Rugby (235 675 players), (1 700 clubs), (90€)
14) Karate and Martial Arts (202 566 members), (3 700 clubs), (80€)
15) Table tennis (178 821 players), (4 500 clubs), (70€)
This list only TAKES INTO ACCOUNT PEOPLE WHO JOINED A CLUB IN 2005 and who played on a regular basis.
Otherwise, sports that are practised OCCASIONALLY, such as Cycling, Swimming and Walking are highly popular and are among the top 5, with 18 million amateurs for Cycling, 14 million for Swimming, and 12 million for Walking.
With 25% people playing sports among the population, France is one of the most sporty countries, the average of the European Union being only 15%.
In France, women represent 35% of this sporty population. 
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