Introduction The aim of the TALENT project is to promote equality in education, prevent exclusion, support dual careers (sport and school), create new role models for the benefit of young talents and prepare them for lifelong learning and professional sport from an early age. It is promoted by a European consortium of 7 partner institutions and runs from December 2022 to May 2025. It consists of five work packages. In the first work phase, developing the WP2 (from December 2022 to October 2023), under the coordination of UNIPA, NIS University, KMOP and EAS standards for talent recognition were identified and validated. Methods Initially, 12 focus groups were conducted with teachers (77 teachers) and coaches (73 coaches) on creating talent identification standards; subsequently, workshops were held with dual career experts to validate these standards. This was a key piece of work that enabled the establishment of clear guidelines and protocols to identify and support talented young people in their dual careers. Results A final list of 41 shared statements was identified: 20 related to teachers and 21 related to coaches. For example, teachers emphasized the need for multidisciplinary approaches and early identification of talent, while coaches underlined the importance of psychological readiness and collaboration with schools and families. Discussion These statements not only provide structured reference points for talent identification but also highlight actionable needs across educational and sport systems. As such, they represent a solid foundation for developing standard operating procedures in talent recognition and dual career support.

The occurrence of spinal deformities during periods of rapid growth in children has been increasingly recognized as a significant issue within the broader community. This study aimed to evaluate the spinal posture during one of the most critical phases of physiological development in a specific group of preschool children. The research involved 153 preschool aged 4 to 6 years (mean age ± standard deviation: 4.6 ± 1.1 years) residing in Sarajevo. Postural assessment was conducted using the method proposed by Napoleon Wolanski (1975), which evaluates segmental relationships through the following parameters: head posture assessment (HPA), shoulder posture assessment (SPA), scapular posture assessment (SBPA), chest posture assessment (CPA), scoliotic posture evaluation (SCP), abdominal posture assessment (APA), leg posture assessment (LPA), and foot posture assessment (FPA). Deviations were categorized based on severity, assigned negative points as follows: 0 points for no deviation, 1 point for mild deviation, and 2 points for significant deviation. The associations between the eight parameters were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rho). The highest degree of correlation was observed between the variables of abdominal posture assessment and head posture assessment (0.536). Poor abdominal posture, often linked to weakened core muscles or imbalances in the lumbar region, can result in compensatory shifts in the head and neck to preserve balance and visual orientation.

This study aims to evaluate and comparatively assess the incidence and burden of knee ligament match injuries in the top five European football leagues (Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and England) throughout the 2022–2023 season. Beyond that, knee ligament match injury classification is based on layoff days and injury severity patterns for each registered injury. A total of 3015 players from “the big” five (UEFA, 2023) European football leagues (with a total of 98 football clubs), namely, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A, with an average of 30.8 players, a mean age of 25.1 (SD ± 4.6) years, were included in the study, also with an average of 14451.4 minutes exposure hours per league. The total exposure amounted to 71,382.7. The medical team recorded individual player time-loss knee ligament match injuries. In this investigation, descriptive and inferential statistical analysis methods were deployed. The football players' injury characteristics, along with other variables, were statistically evaluated using descriptive statistics of means, standard deviations (SDs), and frequencies. Based on descriptive statistics concerning the knee ligament match injury severity patterns, the data reflect that the Premier League (43.86%) and Ligue 1 (43.1%) have the highest percentage of severe injuries, suggesting that both leagues have a larger burden of severe injuries. Although they are still over 40%, the severe injury rates in the Bundesliga and Serie A are marginally lower. While the Premier League has the lowest percentage of mild injuries (15.79%), La Liga separates with a comparatively higher percentage of moderate injuries (30%) than the other leagues, indicating that injuries in the Premier League tend to be more severe in nature. In general, Minimal injuries are rare; the lowest percentage is found in Ligue 1 (3.45%). The collected data wasn't in line with a normal distribution therefore the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess the incidence and burden of knee injuries within the five leagues. Subsequently, Dunn’s test was performed to determine exactly which leagues are different, the pairwise comparisons assessed differences in detail between every pair of leagues. The null hypothesis, as defined by which there is no difference in the knee ligament match incidence or knee ligament match burden of injuries between the leagues, was examined for every comparison. We reject the null hypothesis for the two analyses since the p-values for the incidence and burden of knee ligament match injuries are both 0.000, indicating substantial differences between the leagues for the knee ligament match injury incidence and burden

The aim of this research was to examine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between shoulder flexibility, anthropometric characteristics and swimming speed short distance in kinesiology students. The study included 16 participants 22 years old, male and female with an average body weight 77.7±16,42 kg and 179±9 cm. All students included in the research attended swimming class in the third semester at the Faculty of Kinesiology University of Sarajevo. The study was applied to 5 measuring instruments: measuring instruments for the assessment of flexibility (2); Measuring instruments for the evaluation of morphological characteristics (2); Measuring instrument for the assessments of swimming speed (1). Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to determine the level of interconnection for assessing the relationship between two variables. Data collection for shoulder flexibility was measured using a shoulder elevation test, and stick rotation test, while swimming speed was measured with a digital stopwatch. The analysis of the results did not demonstrate a single significant feature that would allow the confirmation of the assumptions about the significant relations between flexibility and performance in swimming.

In this study we analyzed the effects of swimming on the posture of preschool children. The sample for this study consisted of 153 preschool boys and girls children aged 4-6 years (standard deviation= 1.1 years) living in Canton Sarajevo and divided into two groups of boys and girls, with one attended swimming school (n=61) and other did not (n=92). In order to evaluate the postural status, we used a reduced Napoleon Wolanski method with eight variables for the observed body parts: assessment of head posture (HPA), assessment of shoulder posture (SPA), assessment of scapular posture (SBPA), assessment of chest posture (CPA), scoliotic posture (SCP), assessment of abdominal posture (APA), assessment of leg posture (LPA), and assessment of foot posture (FPA). The results indicated a great effect of swimming on posture. We concluded the paper with some suggestions on how to incorporate swimming programs into regular school curricula.

Running speed in the form of sprinting is one of the most important abilities that can significantly define performance success in many sports. From the perspective of genetically inherited motor functions, running speed can be classified as a primary phylogenetic human movement, manifested in the form of a “threesegment model” consisting of speed, power, and coordination. By comprehensively analyzing the general and partial predictive contributions of dynamic-kinematic parameters of running, speed-power abilities, and morphological characteristics, on a sample of 80 boys aged 10-12 years, it can be concluded that regardless of the choice of criteria, achieved maximal speeds (KVMAX) or results in children’s athletic sprint over 50 meters (KT50m), the same or related predictor variables contributed to the explanation. The variable running time for 20m from a flying start (KTLS20m) has the greatest predictive contribution (β=0.83, p<0.001) to explaining both criteria, which may indicate the importance of conducting this test in the identification and selection for athletic sprint. Additionally, the selection of tests to assess speed-power abilities is extremely important for the identification and selection for athletic sprint. It can be concluded that tests of horizontal and vertical jumps are significant for identification, as well as tests for assessing neuro-muscular excitation. Tests for assessing continuous horizontal jump are also important, although there is an impression that, in boys aged 10-12 years, coordinatively simpler tests should be used. In the analysis of morphological characteristics, variables that significantly contributed to the explanation of criteria at a partial level were body height, back skinfold, and ankle diameter, indicating that in the identification of talented individuals, it should be considered that elite sprinters are characterized by light bones, optimal muscle mass, and low levels of subcutaneous fat tissue.

The issue of spinal deformities, which occurs during phases of intense growth in children, has been recognized within the broader community. Certain categories of children are particularly vulnerable to long-term health risks in this regard, making it important to find ways to intervene early and identify such cases. This study was conducted to assess the current state of spinal posture during one of the most sensitive phases of physiological development in a special group of preschool children. In this case, the sample included 92 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years, who have been living and growing up from an early age in the SOS Children's Village in Sarajevo, without the presence of their biological parents. The assessment of poor posture was applied according to Napoleon Wolanski (1975), which is based on determining the relationships between segmental dimensions as follows: D1 – assessment of head posture (HPA), D2 – assessment of shoulder posture (SPA), D3 – assessment of chest posture (CPA), D4 – assessment of scapula posture (SBPA), D5 – assessment of spinal posture (SP), D6 – assessment of abdominal posture (APA), D7 – assessment of leg posture (LPA), D8 – assessment of foot posture (FPA). Deviations are classified according to their severity and are assessed with so-called negative points, where: 0 points indicate no deviation, 1 point indicates a mild deviation, and 2 points indicate a significant deviation. The posture results show that 15.2% of the children have scoliosis, while 13.0% have lordosis, and 7.6% of preschoolers have kyphosis. Additionally, 30.4% of the children have flat feet, which predisposes them to long-term spinal problems, and 33.7% have significant deviations in leg posture. Numerical values of the results indicate that none of the children included in the testing had an ideal shoulder posture, i.e., a score of 0, which implies no deviation from normal, while the head posture results were also extremely poor.

Athletic performance is affected by numerous factors such as genetic makeup, environmental factors, and psychological factors. The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of fine motor skills and BMI on athletic performance of college students. The sample for this study consisted of 31 students (mean age 19 years, SD- 1.1 year; 7 females, 24 males) recruited from the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Sarajevo. The students were given Purdue Pegboard test of motor skills and Test of Athletic performance consisting of 8 tests: sprint running, high/low start, relay running, hurdle racing, high jump, long jump, shot put, and javelin throw. We assessed the impact of their BMI and fine motor skills on the Athletic performance. The results revealed a statistically significant effect of fine motor skills and BMI on Athletic performance. More specifically, these two factors explained around 30% of the variance in Athletic performance. These findings could be beneficial for designing more effective training programs that not only focus on general physical fitness but also consider the role of fine motor skills and body composition in improving overall athletic performance.