With recent developments in science and technology, the level of competitive sports is continuously improving. In pursuit of the "faster, higher, stronger" Olympic Games' goal, more athletes begin training at earlier ages with higher intensity training. There are many athletes on the world competitions' podiums who are 13 or 14 years old, and because the age when they take part in the competitions is low, the age when they start training is significantly lower. .
Most athletes in sports like gymnastics, ice-skating, and swimming start training when they are only 5 or 6 years old and spend their whole childhood and adolescence on training. With the constant increase of exercise training intensity and training volume, it is unlikely that more high-intensity training has a positive effect on young athletes' growth and development. More young children than ever are pushing their physical and emotional limits in pursuit of athletic excellence and are competing more fiercely at younger ages. In their desire to be number one, they are overtraining, undereating and using illegal supplements and steroids. Thus overuse of premature sports training is not only harmful to children's mental and physical health development but also hinders their overall learning in school.
Coaches and parents of children athletes, however, believe that exercise has positive effects on children's psychological development. They think that physical exercise is not only a recreational activity but can also help the children be more self-disciplined and build up confidence. Eilin Ekeland, a member of Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group, argues that "Exercise has positive short-term effects on self-confidence in children and young people. Exercise may be an important measure in improving children's self-esteem and perseverance". For instance, to perform up to the standard, young ice-skaters are required to hold an action like "single footrest with single foot scooter "for a certain period of time, which seems simple but is not easy to do.
