Greece has a long history of sports being an important part of its culture dating back to the ancient Olympic Games. Today, the most popular sport is football, though Greece has had success in many sports. In France, sports also play an important role in society, with football being the most popular. Other popular sports include basketball, rugby, tennis, cycling and motorsports. In Ireland, Gaelic football and hurling have deep ties to Irish identity and culture, and are the most widely attended sports. Soccer, swimming and golf are also popular team and individual sports played in Ireland.

1. Communications Level 5 – Oral Presentation
Marcio Rodrigues

2. Compare Ireland and two other European member states in
relation to
Sport

3. Greece
France
Ireland

4. Greece
Sports are integral part of Greek culture. Sports are considered as the
oldest form of entertainment of the country, which was widely played and
enjoyed by most of the citizens of Greece.

5. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games that took place every four years were an
important part of the religious life of the Greeks. The Olympics were held at the
Olympia stadium and was inaugurated with a sacrifice to Zeus.
Olympic Games are still considered as one of the major events in
Greece and have become an international game.

6. The most popular sport in Greece is football, but the nation has had
many successes in a wide range of sports over the years
Football (Soccer) Basketball
Athletics
Water polo Weight lifting Wrestling

7. France
Sports in France play an important role in French society, and the country has a
strong sporting history. Sports in France are as intrinsic to French culture as
croissants and red wine.
The most popular sport in France is football
and it was imported from England
Tony Parker has drawn
attention to French basketball

8. Motorsports are very popular in France,
especially auto racing and motorcycle
racing.
Rugby was first introduced in the early 1870s
by British residents. It is predominant in the
southern half of the country, especially around
Toulouse

9. Tennis is the second most popular French sport
in terms of the number of licensed players with
1,111,316 licensed tennis players in France
(2012)
France holds the annual cycling race Tour de
France, which takes place each July and lasts
for three weeks which has been won 36 times
by French cyclists in its 110 year history.

10. Ireland
In the late 1800's a national revival of the Irish
language and culture gathered force. The Gaelic
Athletic Association was formed in 1884 to
promote both, and ever since the G.A.A. has
administered the game and promoted Irish
identity
Soccer is the most played team sport in Ireland.
Swimming, golf, aerobics, cycling, Gaelic
football and billiards/snooker are the other
sporting activities with the highest levels of
playing participation in the Republic of Ireland.

11. Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms
of match attendance, and in 2003 accounted for 34% of
total sports attendances at events in the Republic of
Ireland, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and
rugby at 8%. Motor rally, hillwalking, and cycling are the
other common sports. Every town in Ireland has local clubs
involved in these sports
Hurling is the great Irish national sport
.

12. Equestrian activities, particularly show jumping
and horse racing, are another key sport. Ireland
has the best grass on the planet, and
consequently some of the best horse flesh on
the globe. Every town has its equestrian
centres.
GOLF The major Irish tournament on the
international circuit is the Murphy's Irish Open,
which attracts thousands of enthusiasts to
watch.