@misc{10481/79035,
year = {2022},
month = {11},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/79035},
abstract = {Strong evidence supports physical activity and fitness levels being positively associated
with cognitive performance and overall academic performance in youth. This also applies to sports
participation. However, whether participation in sports at the elite level is associated with greater
academic performance remains unknown. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the academic
performance of young elite athletes to that of control students, as well as to analyze whether the type
of sport mediates these results. Between 2010 and 2019, all students from the last Baccalaureate course
of the Spanish Elite Sport High School—which also includes non-elite athletes and recreational athlete
students, who were categorized as controls—participated in this study. Academic performance was
assessed through both the grade point average of the two last Baccalaureate courses and through the
average grades from the University Entrance Examinations. Athletes were categorized attending to
different sport classifications. A total of 1126 adolescents (570 girls, 18.2   0.6 years) participated in
the study, of which 483 and 643 were categorized as elite athletes and control students, respectively.
Elite athletes attained a lower overall academic performance than controls (p < 0.001), which was
confirmed for both sexes (p < 0.001). These differences were separately confirmed for most academic
subjects (p < 0.05), as well as when attending to different sport classifications (all p > 0.05). Young
elite athletes attained a lower academic performance than their non-elite peers, regardless of their
type of sport. These findings highlight the importance of programs aimed at facilitating dual careers
among young elite athletes.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Adolescence},
keywords = {Youth},
keywords = {Sport practice},
keywords = {High-performance athletes},
keywords = {Cognitive function},
keywords = {Cognitive performance},
keywords = {School marks},
keywords = {School grades},
keywords = {Academic achievement},
title = {Sport Participation and Academic Performance in Young Elite Athletes},
doi = {10.3390/ijerph192315651},
author = {Pinto Escalona, Tania and Esteban Cornejo, Irene},
}