SINN Fein’s Education spokesperson Karen Mullan says the promotion of sport and more needed to be done to encourage more women into sport.
The Foyle MLA said: “The figures show that participation level in sport is consistent with last year however there remains a need for promotion and investment in sport.
“It is disconcerting to see that participation levels among women are still lower than their male counterparts.
“We need to break down the barriers stopping females from participating in sport as they make a valuable contribution to sport by participating and in a coaching capacity.
“It is encouraging to see the good levels of participation by young people in sport.
“However, further attention is needed in order to encourage people from all backgrounds and abilities to get involved in sport as figures show that young people entitled to free school meals have a lower participation rate than those not entitled to them.
“By promoting and investing in sport we can encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to get involved and take the opportunity to learn new skills and enjoy sport,” she added.
