START Project Presented at the 20th FIEPS European Congress 2026

The Albanian Sports Science Association (ASSA) has noted a significant lack of athlete measurements and data across various sports in Albania. Due to the absence of records or relevant data, it has been impossible to conduct analyses or studies regarding Albanian sports. Consequently, ASSA has launched an initiative to collect data on the general and specific capabilities of athletes. ASSA specialists have devised a set of measurements to assess fitness parameters and anthropometric data for athletes across various disciplines. This new initiative is a pilot project named “START,” designed to generate analyses and data concerning Albanian sports; the resulting information will be shared with the respective teams and federations. The data collected will form part of a long-term, multi-year study led by ASSA and the relevant federations. ASSA will spearhead this pilot project as part of its broader research and studies in the field of sports. This long-term study enables ASSA and the respective federations to gather data on a wide range of athletes across various disciplines, thereby helping to establish fitness norms and athlete profiles.

ASSA Testing offer
Testing and evaluation of biomotoric parameters

Individual & Team periodic testing
Evaluation of anthropometric parameters
Evaluation of aerobic / anaerobic capacity parameters
Evaluation of acceleration and speed parameters
Evaluation of agility and flexibility parameters
Evaluation of muscle strength and endurance parameters
Evaluation of explosive power parameters

For each evaluation, the final individual, team report and comparison with the norms are provided.

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

📈 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