Young people in high-level sport

Doc. 7459

18 January 1996

REPORT[1]

Rapporteur: Mr ELO, Finland, Socialist Group

Summary

          Although recognising that sport has a primary role in the development of children and young people, the Assembly is concerned at their involvement in high-level sport at too early an age.

          It welcomes steps by certain sports federations to raise the age at which young people may enter competition and calls on sports federations and on the International Olympic Committee to review national and international competition systems involving young people with a view to raising minimum age limits to 16 or 18 years, depending on the sport, or, where already appropriate, enforcing them.

          The Assembly also believes that legislation on the basic rights of the child should be reviewed in order to ensure that sport is part of the normal development of children and that young athletes are better protected from training abuse, and stresses the responsibility of parents and families.

I. Draft recommendation

1.       The Assembly is concerned at the involvement of young people in high-level sport at too early an age.

2.       Sport has a primary role in the mental as well as physical development of children and young people and therefore should be an integral part of the general educational process for democratic society.

3.       Elite sport however is aimed exclusively at top level performances, that only very few can hope to achieve, and has its own further dangers:

i.        physical and physiological (such as the overloading of the respiratory, cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems);

ii.       psychological (such as the strain caused by the "win at all cost" mentality and drop-out as a result of early commitment to intense training);

iii.       reduced possibilities for children involved in intense training to attend normal school, especially during competition periods.

4.       Some internationally agreed texts, either on young people or on sport, have referred to the need for protection of young people, but without formulating precise recommendations. For example the recent European Manifesto on Young People and Sport, adopted by the European Ministers responsible for Sport in May 1995, states that "the level and intensity of training and competition should be appropriate to the age and physical and mental development of the child".

5.       Certain sports federations have shown concern at the early age at which some young people enter competition and have taken steps to raise it (as for example the International Gymnastics Federation and the Women’s Tennis Association). The Assembly welcomes such moves and calls on sports federations and on the International Olympic Committee to review national and international competition systems involving young people with a view to raising minimum age limits or, where already appropriate, enforcing them.

6.       The Assembly sees several advantages to lie in a clearer distinction between juvenile and adult competition classes. This could be achieved by raising the age limits for participation in certain competitions to 16 or 18 years, depending on the sport, particularly in international competitions and championships.

7.       The Assembly also believes that legislation on the basic rights of the child should be reviewed in a number of countries in order to ensure that sport is part of the normal development of children and that young athletes are better protected from training abuse. The Assembly stresses the responsibility of parents and families in this regard.

8.       The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers call on governments, in co-operation with sports clubs and federations, to:

i.        make a clear policy distinction between sport for young people in general (sport for all) and �lite or high-level sport;

ii.       encourage the drawing up of internationally agreed, gender sensitive  guidelines and approximate minimum age limits as regards training methods, rules and restrictions for young people in individual sports, with special attention to those sports where competition level can be reached at a very early age, for instance gymnastics, swimming and ski jumping, or to those sports known to be dangerous, such as boxing;

iii.       introduce in particular fixed minimum age limits for participation in international competitions and championships, between 16 and 18 years, depending on the type of sports involved;

iv.      ensure that the most talented young athletes receive a sufficient basic education, follow reasonable training and competition schedules and have the opportunity to be children and grow up as members of society with the possibility of developing other skills;

v.       pay closer attention to the training of coaches, in technical matters and in their wider moral responsibilities; their competence being ensured by national sport organisations and, at the local level, the municipalities and sport clubs.

9.       The Assembly also recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

i.        encourage continuing research on the subject of young people in high-level sport in order to be able to assess the evolution in sport for young people in Europe and especially in central and eastern Europe;

ii.       collect and disseminate through appropriate networks information on this and on sport structures and programmes for young people.

II. Explanatory memorandum

by Mr ELO

Introduction

1.       Sport as a wide and diverse concept has had an important role in promoting the well-being of individuals and nations in Europe. The influence of sport on people’s everyday-life has greatly increased in present times, especially through the mass media. Physical activity has proven to have a primary role in the mental as well as physical development of children and young people. Also, some critical considerations can be detected in how this activity is offered to young people . The concept and contents of sport for young people should therefore be acknowledged and considered as a matter for policy making at national level.

2.       Young people are experiencing sport within a wide variety of settings, including school, sport clubs, families, etc. The aims of participation are also wide. Physical education in schools and sport as a leisure time activity form the basis of organised physical activity in young people’s daily life and should therefore be of deep interest in public and official discussion. Many European countries have also made a distinct differentiation between physical education in schools and other kinds of sport.  While physical education at school makes young people familiar with sport, providing them with a basic understanding of physical activity and enabling them to self-direct their interests, other forms of organised sport for young people, mostly provided by sport clubs, offer far more intensive stimuli for regular participation in sport, even providing career opportunities for the most talented individuals today.

3.       The many positive effects of �lite sport are recognised in modern European society. The performances of �lite athletes create experiences for millions of spectators, provide positive examples for young people, promote international co-operation, business and working opportunities for thousands of people. At the same time there is a possible danger of involving young athletes in high-level sports at too early an age. �lite sport has its orientation basis in top level performances that only few can achieve. Sport for young people in general, as later sport for all, is instead based on mass participation where everybody can join in on his/her own achievement level. The values and goals of sport for young people and �lite sport are therefore sometimes difficult to combine.  In most European countries, there is a lack of services provided by the clubs for those young athletes not interested in taking up competitive sport.[2]  Therefore, there is also a potential danger of involving young people, even children, in intense training and high-level goals at far too young an age. This can have a negative influence on the physical, psychological and social development of the child.

4.       The problem of the early involvement of young athletes in high-level sport is a subject of discussion and constant interest for international organisations. Resolution (70) 7 on the medical aspects of sport, adopted by the Ministers' Deputies as long ago as 1970 recommended governments to adopt measures to prevent young persons under a certain age from doing too intensive training in order not to deteriorate their growth and general state of health.  The European Sports Charter (adopted in 1992) stated that national policies and strategies should be drawn up to promote the development of sport, increase regular physical activity among young people, but also to protect young persons from being involved in high-level sport. Unfortunately the international organisations and public are less informed about the possible dangers linked to high-level sport.

Significance of sport for individuals, especially for children and young people

5.       In most European countries the significance of sport has been discussed and studied. In Finland, for example, a recent report collected and funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education contains research data on the influence of physical activity and sport on a variety of social, financial and health aspects of people.[3] Among the most important motives to participate in sports among adults are health, fitness, enjoying nature, spending time with friends, aesthetic experience and self expression (especially women) and competitive success (especially men). The significance of sport as entertainment is especially associated with �lite sport as well as the strengthening of national culture.

6.       In the European Manifesto on Young People and Sport the latest supplement of the principles in Article 5 of the European Sport Charter is laid down, stating that "Children and young people have a right to play and leisure, and society has a duty to ensure that this right can be exercised through physical activity and sport". This manifesto, based on the ideals of humanism and tolerance, stresses the enjoyment in sport based on play, developing mental, physical and social qualities of an individual. Beginning at birth, motion and physical activity form a solid part of a child’s over-all development. In the first years of human life, psychological development cannot be separated from physiological. In fact, by far the greatest part of human brain activity is used for the control of movement. A child needs physical activity in order to be able to gain experiences from himself and his surroundings and thereby perceive psychological and later social stimulus. In later years of childhood, physical activity still has various, more or less differentiated tasks to fulfil for the development process. Respecting oneself and others, learning tolerance and responsibility, learning self-control, gaining self-esteem, understanding ethical values and fair play, etc.[4]  The specialised values of participating in competitive high-level sport at early ages are far less documented. Testing the limits of one’s performance and capacity, helping athletes to adjust themselves into the society by competing, winning and losing, are examples of the possible positive effects of high-level sports on young people.

Significance of �lite sports for individuals and for society

7.       Establishing the values of �lite sport, the Finnish report recognises spectators for the first time as a solid party in �lite sport. The social significance of �lite sport is manifested in the following aspects, which may hold true in many other European countries as well.

8.       Sport improves international understanding and co-operation. Sport can promote collaboration between nations and exacerbate political conflicts. Large sport events bring more people together at site than any other event, not mentioning the amount of spectators via the mass media. As an example, about 49% of the Finnish population watched the Albertville Olympics 120-metre ski jump event on their television sets.

9.       The national image and identity is strengthened by successful �lite sportsmen and sportswomen.

10.     Athletes make the favourite idols for children under the age of puberty. Most Finns (80%) think that top sport provides a good example and role models for young people.

11.     The state of health of the athletes is better than the average, including a lower death rate for former athletes before 65 years of age. Also the medical field has developed new methods of treatment in response to the demand for quick and complete recovery in �lite sport.

12.     The commercial and business world relates directly to �lite sports, offering working opportunities for thousands of people. In the estimations of the European Community sport and related activities account for 2,5% of today's world trade.

13.     Contradictory to these benefits there is also another aspect to be considered. The list of the positive values of �lite sport mentioned above at the same time also includes several of the negative side effects of sport. Commercialism, where money and commercial broadcasting companies make timetables for events, where athletes merely compete for the money prizes rather than for honour or nation, is hardly generally regarded as one of the basic values of sport. The "win at all costs" mentality drives some athletes to use artificial, unsafe and illegal means of improving their performance and so jeopardising their lives for medals. The professionalism of �lite sport distinguishes children’s idols as a separate group of show-people, achieving results that are neither understandable, realistic nor motivating goals for the average boy or girl. The contrast in the international �lite sport between the high ideals of fair play, ethics and international understanding and reality is often too obvious and true to be neglected. Even more critical questions concerning the real values of high-level sport should be stated, when considering its possible effects on young people.

The impact of high-level sport on sport for young people (sport for all)

14.     Research such as the TOYA study[5] state that the benefits of well-planned intensive training appear considerable. The TOYA findings suggest that in the four sports studied (tennis, gymnastics, football and swimming) intensive training had a sport-specific effect on growth and physical fitness. It should be noted, however that this particular study was not aimed at examining the effects of training programmes of young people (and of sport for all) involved in high-level sport. Further research should therefore be carried out before making definitive conclusions.

15.     The values and aims of �lite sport and sport for young people are different and therefore the impact of �lite sport on young people can be detrimental and negative. The foundation for �lite sports is in the search for excellence, the drama of winning and losing, finding the best out of the good ones. These aims, however, are not the aims of sport for young people in general (or of sport for all). The principles of sport for young people lie in the concepts of play, mass participation, socialisation and education. Therefore several different aims must be accepted and included in sport for young people. For some of the young the aim is certainly winning and for most of them improving their skills and performances. But nevertheless, only very few can achieve international, or even national level as athletes. For many this aim is not sufficient to maintain the motivation to participate in sports. Sport for young people has its own characteristic nature that should fulfil the needs of both �lite sport and sport for all later on, in addition to its values in the educational process and subsequent development. A report on education and sport claims that the educational process of sport must begin in the early years as part of the general process of adapting to society and those involved must be aware of their responsibility and the role they have to play.[6]

16.     Training of �lite athletes presupposes constant exercise. Even young athletes have to spend long hours each day on training in order to reach a high performance level. In the case of children, whose body structure is still in the process of growing, permanent stress on a limited group of muscles can provoke disturbances in development. Some specialists think that competitive sports, which cause overloading of the respiratory, cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems, should be excluded for girls before the ages of 11 to 13 and for boys before the age of 12 to 14 in view of their physical growth. The bone growth of children occurs in spurts (girls between 10 and 13 years, boys between 12 and 16 years of age) and certain type of exercises during these periods can harm normal development and even cause serious injuries. The "win at all costs" mentality can lead to extreme exploitation of young people. Berliner Morgenpost affirmed in March 1994 that some children had been doped in former East Germany to practise high-level sport, even without the children themselves or their parents knowing.[7]

17.     Year after year some new teenage sports stars are drawn into the limelight of the mass media. Among the sports in which the athletes are trained and specialised at an early age are in particular gymnastics, figure skating, swimming, and tennis. Everybody is impressed by their high performance level, but few ask or think at what age these children started training in order to be almost perfect at the age of 14, 15 or 16.

18.     In tennis, for example, the Germans Boris Becker and Steffi Graf and the Yugoslav (now US) Monika Seles began playing in the professional circuit when very young. Graf played her first professional tournament when she was 13 years old. Now in the tennis world, some say that the top coaches and managers are signing contracts with players 6 to 10 years old and are pressing to lower the age of admission to the professional circuit from 14 to 12 years.

19.     Premature commitment to intense training also often leads to early drop-out from sport. Naturally, this is not the only reason for the high number of young people dropping-out from sport and recognised in all European countries. Nevertheless it is one of the most important reasons, because it admits the influence of the competition system for talent-searching and leaves the rest of the participants with bad experiences or no experiences at all. The national competition systems are usually based on the rules of the international sports organisations, which are mainly concerned with international �lite sports. There are some examples where the international federation has made improvements in their rules concerning sport for young people. For example, in gymnastics, the International Federation has changed the rules concerning participation of young athletes in professional competition from 15 to 16. But again, to be able to attend gymnastics at the international level at the age of 16, one has to start intensive training many years earlier, so this action is not sufficient by itself. A working group for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) led by Mr Per Ravn Omdal from Norway has made special recommendations for young people's sport which could apply to other sports as well:

20.     The children who are involved in intensive training may have fewer possibilities to attend normal school system at secondary level. Their schedule is mostly training-oriented. During the competition period they may not be able to study at all. As an example some young ice-hockey players in the Nordic countries who are qualified for their club team at the national level are hardly able to attend school during the winter seasons. This leads to gaps in their education and can create many problems for them in their future life.

21.     The European Sports Charter in its Article 8 concerning high-level sports indicates that "methods of providing appropriate direct or indirect support for sportsmen and women who reveal exceptional sporting qualities shall be devised in co-operation with sport organisations, in order to give them opportunities to develop fully their sporting and human capacities, in the full respect of their individual personality and physical and moral integrity". In many countries there is a system of specialised sport schools that provide for good training and professional coaching opportunities. In the eastern European tradition the concept of sport school refers to secondary schools that have the aim of developing children to be �lite sports persons. In the Nordic countries the concept refers mainly to the sixth, seventh and eighth levels of secondary school where special circumstances have been created for talented young athletes. This latter system is developed in accordance with normal school laws and has a special status in the formal national educational system, similar to existing art and music schools. The results so far have shown that this Nordic system is working quite well for both educational and athletic goals.

22.     In many sports, such as gymnastics, diving, combat sports, etc. the risk of injuries while practising or competing is extraordinarily high. Some sport installations may not be safe for young athletes. The competence of young people's coaches is often insufficient and the training methods are not suited to children. Many international bodies that work in the field of sport recognise this problem as an important one. The Steering Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) at its 18th meeting in February 1995 decided that research is needed to gain better, more reliable and more detailed information on the health effects of physical activity, including sports and exercise injuries and their prevention.[8]

23.     The responsibility for a child taking up an intense training programme at a very early age always lies with adults, that is parents or coaches. It is obvious that children of very young age have no means of making such a decision by themselves. Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on Children’s Rights, ratified by over 100 countries, recognises the child’s right to be "protected against economic exploitation" and the child must not be obliged to "work which includes some risks or is susceptible to compromise his education or harm his health or his physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social growth". Also the European Code of Sports Ethics stresses in one of its paragraphs that the health, safety and welfare of the child or young athlete must be put as the first priority and that these values must come before any vicarious achievement, or the reputation of the school, club, coach or parent.

Summary of present positions of international organisations to young people and high-level sport

24.     Council of Europe

          The position of the Council of Europe on sport for young people is basically set out in the European Sports Charter and in the Code of Sports Ethics. The search for excellence is recognised as an important goal and should be "supported and encouraged in appropriate and specific ways".[9]  Talent identification and special educational opportunities are named as means of support for top level sport by society. In the Code of Sports Ethics the health, safety and welfare of the child are given the first priority. The interest of adults should focus as much on the less talented as on the talented. The European Manifesto on Young People and Sport (1995) supplements the previous positions by stating that the roles of training and competition should be kept in due proportion.

25.     European Union

          A number of European Union rules and activities are of importance for sports. The effects concerning health and safety can also be connected with young people and �lite sport.[10]

          In June 1994 a directive was adopted to protect young people at work. This prohibits in general the employment of children (persons under 15 years of age). However to employ children in cultural, artistic, sports and advertising activities is still possible, as long as this happens in a balanced way with regard to their physical and psychological health. So any "professional" training for children is prohibited or should take place under specific control.

26.     European Sport Conference

          With a working group report on "Young people in European sport", the European Sport Conference has pointed out some of the problems in sport for young people. National sports organisations see many indications of �lite sport affecting young people in a negative way, that is too early specialisation, too rigorous training routines, too demanding a competition system and commercial and �litist interests. At the same time, the report stresses the positive values of competitive sport conducted in relation to children’s age and development.

27.     International sports organisations — examples

          Some of the international sports organisations have already started to adopt special rules concerning age limits for participation in competitions. The International Gymnastics Federation has raised the minimum age for participation in professional competitions from 15 to 16. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has proposed that young players may play a full schedule on world tour only after they are 18 years old. In the Olympic Charter no special age limit is set for the Olympic Games,[11] but all the sports-specific rules of international sports federations apply to the Olympic Games as well.

Conclusions and recommendations

28.     The involvement of young people in high-level sport is a real problem which needs to be further discussed and studied on the international level. The approach of modern �lite sports is different from and to a certain extent even detrimental to sport for young people (sport for all). Legislation on the basic rights of the child should be updated in a number of countries in order to provide for the normal development of the child and avoid treating children simply as small adults.

29.     Sport for young people should be officially differentiated from other sports. If sport for young people is regarded only as a basis for �lite sport and its main task as finding the talent, the high educational and social ideals will remain more or less theoretical. The Nordic model, where the different areas of sport are evaluated separately and where quality for an individual sport is evaluated by other means than success, could form a model or an example for other countries in Europe.

30.     The countries of Europe differ greatly from one another in terms of traditions, development, problems and experiences or documented data on sport for young people. For example, in most countries of eastern Europe sports club structures do not exist or are only now being set up for the first time, and the role of physical education in school is more important to the sports education of youngsters than that of sports clubs. By creating and using a co-operational network for sport for young people in Europe, the latest information and knowledge can be spread faster and more concretely. Bilateral and multilateral programmes can create exchange of information and development.

31.     Since school and sports clubs are two of the most important means of creating possibilities for organised physical activity for young people, co-operation between these two parties should be encouraged. The basic concept of physical education in schools seems closer to the ideals of sport for young people in general, while sports clubs more easily take up the competitive and intensive training tradition of �lite athleticism. Therefore, by encouraging co-operation, new concepts could be created for sport for young people both at the local and at the national level.

32.     The national and international competition systems concerning young people should be developed. International guidelines should be drawn up on participation in competitions, on training methods, on rules and restrictions for young people in each individual sport. Special attention must be paid to those sports where the international level can be reached at a very early age. Special "competition systems for young people" suited to the stage of development of the child should be created independently of the international rules. Competition is not good or bad in itself — the effects depend on how it is arranged and conducted by adults. Recommendations should be made by the Council of Europe for the international and national sport organisations.

33.     Particular attention should be paid to the most talented young athletes, in terms of their achieving a sufficient basic education, in sustaining reasonable training and competition schedule, in having the opportunity to be children and grow up as personalities and achieve also other important skills for life.

34.     Educational programmes should be available for youth leaders and coaches as well as for parents. The technical and moral responsibility of coaches for young people should be of great concern. The competence of such coaches should be ensured by national sports organisations but the responsibility of implementation lies with the municipalities and sports clubs at the local level. Working with children, who need physical activity to help their development, is an important educational task that should be helped by the proper training of coaches. While most coaches in �lite sports are well qualified and trained for their work, many of the coaches of children work for years without any training. Role models and methods for coaching are easily transferred from �lite sports to children’s sport and the vicious circle goes on. Parents should be made aware of the differences between �lite sport and sport for young people.

35.     Finally, it is evident that more information about sports structures and programmes for young people is needed to be able to draw any definitive conclusions about the development and proceedings in sport for young people in Europe. Such information should be collected and disseminated through appropriate networks, such as the Clearing House.

Reporting committee: Committee on Culture and Education.

Budgetary implications for the Assembly: none.

Reference to committee: Doc. 6705 and Reference No. 1822 of 5 November 1992.

Draft recommendation adopted unanimously by the committee on 21 December 1995.

Members of the committee: Mrs Fischer (Chairperson), Sir Russell Johnston, Mr de Puig (Vice-Chairpersons), MM. Alegre, Arnason, Bartumeu Cassany, Bauer, Baumel, Berg, Berti, Decagny, De Decker, Elo, Mrs Fleeetwood, MM. Galanos (Alternate: Christodoulides), Gell�rt Kis (Alternate: E�rsi), Baroness Gould, Mrs Groenver (Alternate: Mrs Severinsen), Mr G�l (Alternate: Miss �zver), Baroness Hooper, MM. Jurk_ns, Karas, Kollwelter, Kouck� (Alternate: Špa_ek), Legendre, L�pez Henares, Mrs Machaira, MM. Ma_achowski, Maloney, Maruflu (Alternate: Mimaro_lu), Mrs Maximus (Alternate: Mr Staes), Mrs Mihaylova, MM. Mocanu, Mocioi, Muehlemann, Mrs Naoumova, Mrs Ojuland (Alternate: Mrs Veidemann), MM. Paunescu, Probst, Pulaha, Rivelli, Rizzo Naudi, Mrs Robert, Mr Roseta, Mrs Schicker, MM. Serra, Siwiec, Škol_, Slobodn�k, Sofoulis, Szak�l, Mrs Terborg (Alternate: Mr Antretter), Mr Verbeek, Mrs Verspaget, Mr Vogt, Mrs W�rnersson, MM. Widmann, Zingeris,

N.B.    The names of those who took part in the vote are printed in italics.

Secretaries to the committee: MM. Grayson, Ary and Gruden.

[1]. By the Committee on Culture and Education.

[2]. European Sport Conference. Youth in European sports — a working group report. 1993.

[3]. "Stronger through physical activity and sport." Reports of physical culture and health No. 87.  Foundation for the Promotion of Physical Culture and Health. Helsinki 1993.

[4]. European Manifesto on Young People and Sport.  8th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Sport.  Lisbon, 17 to 18 May 1995.

[5]. TOYA. Training of young athletes study. The Sport Council. Great Britain. 1994.

[6]. Ethics in sport and young people; summary of trend report.  Mr Delforge, Strasbourg. 1992.

[7]. Legisport. Document: sport and children champions. 1994.

[8]. CDDS (94) 87. Strasbourg, 12 January 1995.

[9]. European Sports Charter, Article 7.

[10]. The Impact of European Union  Activities on Sport. Directorate General, European Commission, 1994.

[11]. Olympic Charter. International Olympic Committee. Lausanne, 1994.