Which region of Poland provides the best opportunities for sports enthusiasts? The answer to this question is provided by the latest ranking comparing the sports potential of each voivodeship. The winner turned out to be the smallest one: Opole.
The sports ranking of voivodeships prepared by 50 styles compares the data published by local governments and the Central Statistical Office, taking into account also several independent studies. The authors compared, among others availability of sports facilities in each region, expenditure of local governments on physical education, as well as the level of activity of the inhabitants of the provinces. On this basis, the perspectives and opportunities that each province provides to sports enthusiasts were determined.
Opolskie the best
The winner was the Opolskie Voivodeship. The region has statistically the most extensive training facilities in the country. There are exactly 5 sports facilities for each resident, such as sports fields, stadiums and sports halls. The Opole region also recorded a very good result in the category of sports events organized here. 12.3 events per 100 thousand inhabitants in 2022 is the second result in the country; In this category, however, Kujawy turned out to be unrivaled.
Apart from the Opole region, the podium also includes its neighbors: Lower and Upper Silesia. It is in Upper Silesia that we can find the most (1,540) sports clubs in Poland. Dolnośląskie Voivodeship is the leader of local government support for physical culture: last year, the budget for this purpose generated a record amount of PLN 10.26 per inhabitant.
The authors of the ranking write about the fierce "rivalry" between the provinces that occupied further positions in the tables. For example, Wielkopolska, 4th in the general classification, "overtook" the province. Pomeranian only one point. It also often happened that the excellent results of a single province in one category overshadowed the poor results in others. Although Pomerania can boast of an impressive number of fitness clubs (7 / 100,000 inhabitants), it has few sports clubs on its territory (3 / 10,000 inhabitants).
Center in poor condition
The voivodeships located in central and eastern Poland performed the worst in the ranking. Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Łódzkie and Świętokrzyskie regions did not shine in any category,finally closing the general classification table. The poor condition of the local sport can be proved by the poor educational offer for young athletes. The report showed that these four provinces have a total of fewer schools with sports classes (180 facilities) than Upper Silesia alone (224 facilities).
