Introduction:

Sport endures in promoting meaningful learning and well-being in children and youth. People motivated for sports activities show confidence and enthusiasm, with repercussions on their performance, persistence, self-esteem and ability to concentrate.

Objetives:

To establish the profile of youth motivations to practice sports; Understand young people sports behaviors of to guide them in a sport as demanding as swimming.

Methods:

The group is composed by 86 swimmers, aged between 10 and 18 years. The data were obtained through the translated and adapted version of Participation Motivation Questioner (PMQ). The reliability of the evaluation scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Descriptive and inferential analyzes were performed using SPSS software.

Results:

Young people significantly value personal relationships, friendships, a spirit of cooperation and fun, as fundamental factors for sports. Most participants consider the factors inherent to "health" and "well-being" as "very important". There are no significant differences between genders, regarding the degree of agreement in any of the analyzed dimensions.

Conclusion:

Sport contribution to the transversal development of youth is undeniable, not only from a physical point of view, but also socially and psychologically. The attempt to understand the motivations that lead youth to practice sport and/or physical activity is an important catalyst for combating the abandonment of sports.

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