Research summary · Youth development
Youth athletic development: health, participation and long-term progress
A multidisciplinary statement examines development pathways that combine sporting progress with health and sustained participation.
- Publication year
- 2015
- Publication type
- IOC expert consensus statement
- Journal
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Youth athletes · Multiple sports
What the publication reports
The consensus favours a holistic approach to youth development and cautions against premature specialisation. It considers maturation, motor development, training, injury prevention and psychological wellbeing together rather than using adult performance models unchanged.
Limits and interpretation
This is expert consensus, not a trial establishing a universal age or training prescription. Evidence differs by sport and population; developmental decisions need individual assessment.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Original publication / indexed recordDOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-094962Reader discussion
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