Study on the training of young sportsmen and sportswomen in Europe

Having regard to:

• the Declaration of the Nice European Council of 7, 8 and 9 December 2000 on the specific characteristics of sport and its social function in Europe, of which account should be taken in implementing common policies, and in particular to the Declaration’s Article 11 on the preservation of sports training policies;
• the conclusions of the Luxembourg Presidency on the informal meeting of EU Sport Ministers of 28-29 April 2005; and
• the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 22 December 2005 on "EU action in the field of Education through Sport: building on EYES 2004 achievements",

the Commission awarded a contract for a study on the training of sportsmen and sportswomen in Europe to identify ways of improving the legal and political framework for preserving and developing high-quality training for top-level sportspersons, particularly young sportspersons, in Europe, and specifically to:

1. Describe the current situation regarding the training of top-level sportspersons in Europe;
2. Identify different approaches to the training of top-level sportspersons in Europe;
3. Identify examples of best practice in certain training systems;
4. Evaluate the training needs of top-level sportspersons and, where appropriate, methods to improve their training.

The results of the study are now available on this website. Although they do not constitute the Commission's official position, the Commission considers these results as useful input for the cooperation it intends to pursue with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to promote the quality of sports training in the EU and to protect the moral and physical integrity of young sportspeople in the European Union.

• Executive summary
• Typological description
• Quality criteria
• Methodology
  
• Legal and political frameworks  appendices
• Recommendations