According to the passage, as a sport, skiing .

Skiing is a popular sport, enjoyed by people of all
ages. The best skiers, that is, the professionals,
have until recently been Europeans. The
Austrians, the French, and the Italians have
generally been the fastest in international
competitions, Recently, however, skiers from
other countries have also come to the fore and
demonstrated their skills. As a result, interest in
the sport has become worldwide, and this has
led to a highly competitive ski industry.