The purpose of this study was to identify the sports practice motives in a sample of Brazilian young athletes according to sex, age, economic status and type of sport. A total of 1517 subjects (714 girls and 803 boys) aged 12 to 18 years-old were included in the study. To identify the sports practice motives we used the version translated into Portuguese of the Participation Motive Questionnaire (PMQ). The statistical treatment of data was performed by analysis of covariance. The results indicated that the most important sports practice motives were "Skill" and "Physical Fitness", while the less important were "Fun" and "Achievement/Status". Sex, age, economic status and type of sport (collective/individual) have significantly influenced the motives given by young athletes to the practice of sports and thus should be considered in order to maintain levels of its practice.
PMQ; Sports Training; Adolescents
