The report found that although 40 per cent of Britons class themselves as sports fans who watch games in pubs and bars, only half actually participate in any physical activity. The most supportive sports fans in the world are Olympic hosts, the Chinese, four in five of whom regularly participate in sport.
Only seven per cent of British fans rated the state of British sports as very good, whilst more than three times as many people - 23 per cent - it `poor` or `very poor` putting Britain second only to Japan and Poland. British sports stars also came third from the bottom of the international league as role models for their countrymen, with the Chinese, Portuguese and French prizing their athletes most.
Director of 3000ft Strategic Insight, William Nelson, said Britons' own poor record of participation in sport means that we are less likely to have empathy for our sports stars.
He said: "Our Olympic athletes will need to turn in some truly inspiring performances to get sports fans out of the pub and onto the playing field - without wider participation we'll never have a truly pro-sports culture in the UK - and we probably won't be bringing home many medals in future games."
Over 9,000 adults from 16 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia took part in the poll, which compiled a general score of fans' supportiveness based on their responses to a series of questions.
