Effects of Early Talent Promotion on Junior and Senior Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Talent Development
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Talent promotion programs (TPPs) aim to accelerate elite youth athlete development.
• High athlete turnover in TPPs raises questions about long-term efficacy.
• Early maturation, relative age, and intensive training may influence junior success but not necessarily senior performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the impact of early talent promotion on junior and senior athletic performance.
• To provide robust evidence on the long-term effects of TPPs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across multiple databases (SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Scopus, etc.).
• Included studies compared athletes by performance levels based on age at TPP entry.
• Calculated meta-analytic Cohen's d for junior and senior athletes; assessed evidence quality.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 51 effect sizes from 6,233 athletes across various sports and countries.
• Early TPP involvement correlated with higher junior performance (d = -0.53).
• Later TPP involvement correlated with higher senior performance (d = 0.56), indicating opposite effects.

Conclusions:

• Findings align with evidence suggesting opposing participation patterns for junior vs. senior success.
• Early TPP entry benefits short-term junior performance but may negatively impact long-term senior achievement.
• Discusses implications of selection and treatment effects within TPPs for athlete development.