On this day in 1994, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures showing Canberra was sports crazy. It showed Canberrans ran, jumped, threw, kicked and even just jogged more than Australians from any other region.
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This love also extended to the logistical side of the games as more Canberrans coached, administered and officiated games compared to other regions. With the wind in their sails, ACTSport, Canberra's lobbying group for sports, pounced on these latest figures with their budget submission.
The group believed there was no better time to pursue a better deal from the public purse strings, as about 40 per cent of ACT residents over the age of 15 played sport.
The participation rate of males in sport was almost 50 per cent, which blew the national average of 39.4 per cent out of the water in 1994. The trend continued for other areas, where Canberra beat the national average for female participation in sport, the involvement of more coaches, administrators and referees.
Unsurprisingly, participation in sport decline as we age.
It was certain that nearly 30 years on, Canberrans had not lost their desire for sport. Despite the increasing cost of participation in sports, parents were still sending their children for sports activities. The ACT has become the most expensive region in Australia for sport.
