As part of the 20th FIEPS European Congress and the 5th International Conference on Education, Global Integration and Sport, held at Aleksandër Xhuvani University in Elbasan, Albania, Florian Muca presented the scientific project: 🎤 “Normative Data for Motor Field Tests in Athletes from Diverse Sport Disciplines in Albania: Insights from the START Project.” The presentation highlighted the outcomes and impact of the START – SporT Assesment ReporT Project, an initiative of the Albanian Sport Science Association (ASSA), which since 2017 has been conducting systematic assessments to develop the first national athlete profiling database in Albania.

📈 Between 2021–2024, the project assessed:
✅ 1,499 young athletes
✅ 1,065 boys and 434 girls
✅ ages 7–21 years

⚽🏀🏐🥋 Sports included in the study:
• Football – 36.8%
• Basketball – 34.4%
• Volleyball – 24.3%
• Taekwondo/Karate – 4.4%

📊 Key findings revealed that:
🔹 the highest participation rates were observed between ages 13–16
🔹 boys mainly participated in football and basketball
🔹 girls were predominantly represented in volleyball
🔹 further expansion is needed in some sports and female categories to improve representativeness

🧪 The START Project includes:
✅ anthropometric assessments
✅ bio-motor testing
✅ physical performance evaluation
✅ longitudinal athlete monitoring

🌍 The project provides the first standardized national dataset for athlete profiling in Albania and represents an important step toward the development of sport science in the country. The database offers strong potential for:
✔️ developing national normative values
✔️ talent identification
✔️ training optimization
✔️ evidence-based sport policies and athlete development strategies

📢 The complete project results and detailed analyses are expected to be officially published during the coming week, providing further insights into youth athlete development and sport performance trends in Albania. 🤝 The START Project also serves as a valuable collaboration model between sport science researchers, coaches, sport clubs, and physical education institutions in Albania. 👏 Congratulations to Florian Muca and the START Project team for their valuable contribution to sport science research and athlete monitoring in Albania!

#STARTProject #FIEPS2026 #ASSAAlbania #SportScience #YouthAthletes #TalentIdentification #MotorTests #AthleteProfiling #ResearchInAlbania #PhysicalEducation #SportPerformance #LongitudinalAssessment #SportsResearch #AlbaniaSports