A survey conducted by Ibope Inteligência and Troiano Consultoria de Marca showed that 89% of 15 to 19 year olds engage in some kind of sport, and 59% dedicate between one and two hours per day to sport. The most popular activities are walking (43%), football (34%) and swimming (28%). Running is in fourth place, with the participation of 27% of interviewees. Three hundred and ninety people of both genders from social classes A, B and C were interviewed in various locations in Brazil.

Among girls the favorite sport is walking (54%), while football (52%) is the most popular for boys.

Brazil now has 65 million people under the age of 18. Holding the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will help to further boost sports practice among the youth of Brazil and South America, with major legacies left by the bid including the Olympic Training Center in Barra da Tijuca and the X Park extreme sports center in Deodoro.