Elite youth sport policy and dual career support services in 15 countries

Over the past decades, competition has increased, athletes train longer and more national and international championships are organized for young athletes. Responding to this increasing performance pressure for athletes, several countries have established programmes to support talent identification and talent development. A plethora of studies have attempted to understand what determines success for talented youth at the micro-level (individual athlete) perspective (such as physical, genetics, physiology, perceptual motor, psychological applications). Since 2000, an emerging body of literature has emerged which has paid attention to meso-level factors (organisation), with a focus on the systems and programmes developed by sport organisations and governments to support athletic careers. Research on the support needed during talent development of young athletes has been largely ignored, and the European Union has also recognized the need to focus on young athletes’ dual careers in which their sport participation is combined with study and work. Drawing on data collected from 15 countries (as part of the SPLISS study, see further), this chapter highlights how countries provide support for talent identification and development and in particular to facilitate the combination of high performance training with educational support for athletes.