Physical fitness tests as an indicator of potential athletes in a large sample of youth

Background: Promoting youth sports participation is an excellent strategy to improve health and high-level sports competition around the world. Aims: The aim of this study was to analyse the potential of commonly used physical-fitness (PF) tests to discriminate against athletes from non-athletes in young populations. Material and Methods: One thousand eight hundred and thirty-one youth people were analysed (boys: 514 non-athletes and 401 athletes; girls: 722 non-athletes and 194 athletes) aged 10–18 years (y). Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscular fitness (MF), agility and speed were tested using PF tests. Results: Application of receiver operating characteristics curves was used to assess the discriminatory potential of each PF for distinguishing athletes from non-athletes, with an area under the curve (AUC) higher than 65% (0.65). In the oldest groups (≥16 y), the speed test at 20 m in boys (AUC = 0.70) and horizontal jump test in girls (AUC = 0.75) were the best discriminators, while the push-up-test (AUC 10–11 y boys = 0.68, AUC 14–15 y boys = 0.68, AUC 10–11 y girls = 0.73, AUC 12–13 y girls = 0.87) and the PACER (AUC boys: 12–13 y = 0.68 and AUC girls 14–15 y = 0.73) appeared to be better discriminators than other PF tests, for the younger age-groups. Conclusion: The speed-test at 20 m and the horizontal-jump were the best PF to identify older adolescents with athletic potential, while the PACER and push-up tests were the most discriminatory for the younger adolescents.