A sporting nation cannot be unhealthy

Vígh Milán, president of the European Center for Sports Development and Integration, has spent over a decade developing a Hungarian-designed assessment and development system. His work with colleagues has created KIDEX for children and ALLDEX for adults, aiming to provide objective assessments and personalized development plans. These programs also lay the groundwork for a national health and sports monitoring infrastructure.

Milán believes these initiatives can connect sport, healthcare, education, and prevention into a data-driven, sustainable system. "My dream is that one day it will be natural in Hungary for every child to receive support appropriate to their abilities before choosing a sport or starting to compete," he stated. "If KIDEX can contribute to this, it will have achieved its goal. I don't want to popularize a program, but a perspective where we get to know the child, not just their performance."

The most significant problem in Hungarian youth sports, according to Milán, is not a lack of talent or dedicated professionals. Instead, the system still places far more emphasis on supporting already successful sports and athletes than on the crucial early stages where these successes are born. He also noted a lack of adequate parental education and information platforms about available opportunities. Coaches, physical education teachers, and development specialists in youth sports perform vital work, often with limited resources and even more limited training opportunities.

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My dream is that one day it will be natural in Hungary for every child to receive support appropriate to their abilities before choosing a sport or starting to compete. If KIDEX can contribute to this, it will have achieved its goal. I don't want to popularize a program, but a perspective where we get to know the child, not just their performance.

Milán argues that the best long-term investment is not pouring more money into selected sports, but dedicating more attention and resources to the tens of thousands of children who will become future athletes and, more importantly, healthy adults. Many European countries already emphasize early condition assessment, sports science support, and data-driven youth development. He believes Hungary should move in this direction, requiring systemic change.

"Parents today don't need to be convinced that their child's health and development are important," Milán said. "Rather, they are looking for answers about who and what they can trust."

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Parents today don't need to be convinced that their child's health and development are important. Rather, they are looking for answers about who and what they can trust.