We knew that the Bretons had descent. But that doesn’t stop them from practicing sports to stay in shape. According to an INSEE study, Brittany thus tops the most sporting regions in France with 609,000 licenses issued in 2022, or 178 licenses per 1,000 inhabitants – compared to 157 nationally. Brittany is just ahead of its western neighbors with Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays-de-la-Loire completing the podium.
In this land of football, which has three clubs in Ligue 1 and two clubs in Ligue 2, football is of course, by far, the king sport with 147,100 licenses issued in the region. Next come tennis (43,200 licensees), sailing (39,400), horse riding (37,400) and basketball (32,800).
Swimming and rugby are progressing
“Conversely, golf, rugby, swimming and pétanque are less widespread in Brittany than at the national level”, underlines INSEE, noting however the good progress over the last five years in swimming (+36% of licenses) and rugby (+34%) on Celtic soil.
Outside of the framework of sports federations, 83% of Bretons aged 15 and over also say they practice a physical or sporting activity, including 71% on a regular basis. On a national scale, the figures are respectively 80% and 65%, making Brittany the number 1 region for practicing sports, supervised or not.