The numbers behind the approach In March 2025, Sport Vlaanderen published a detailed report on SportKompas, covering data from 2017 through 2024. A few key figures stand out:

• More than 48,000 children have taken part in a SportKompas session since 2017, with a clear acceleration from 2021 onward, when Sport Vlaanderen put its weight behind the project.
• 134 of Flanders' 300 municipalities (45%) have organized at least one SportKompas session so far.
• 2,350 primary schools took part, representing 26% of all Flemish primary schools.
• 2024 was a record year: thanks to the VIP2024 campaign tied to the Paris Olympics, 13,432 children were tested across 90 municipalities in that single year alone, almost as many as the two previous years combined.

Vlaams-Brabant leads with 44% of its primary schools reached, followed by West-Vlaanderen (35%) and Limburg (28%). That also means there's still room for growth in other provinces and municipalities that haven't yet adopted the program.

How it works: two tests, seven sport planets SportKompas combines two instruments. I DO measures a child's motor skills across six dimensions through seven physical tests: strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, speed, and endurance.I LIKE is an interactive digital questionnaire that captures the child's sport preferences and interests. Together, both tests produce a personal report showing seven sports that best match the child, visualized as "sport planets."

One thing the data shows: the sports recommended based on a child's motor aptitude differ quite a bit from the sports based on their preferences. That's precisely why combining both tests matters: measuring aptitude alone misses motivation, and measuring preference alone misses what's actually realistic for the child.

What's in it for children and parents For the child going through the I DO tests and filling out the I LIKE questionnaire, SportKompas is about getting a clear, personal report showing seven sports that best match their motor skills and interests. Parents get a direct link to local clubs offering those sports nearby. That turns an abstract result into a concrete next step: no guesswork about which club to call or which trial lesson to sign up for.

What's in it for the PE teacher Physical education teachers rarely get objective data on the children in front of them. SportKompas changes that. Teachers receive benchmarked results for their entire class: how each child scores on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, speed, and endurance compared to the Flemish benchmark, and compared to their classmates.

That class-level view makes it possible to differentiate during PE lessons instead of teaching to the middle. A teacher can spot which children are lagging on motor coordination and need more individual attention, and which ones are ahead on endurance and could use a bigger challenge. Lessons can be adapted accordingly, and advice given to a child or their parents is grounded in actual measurement rather than a general impression.

What's in it for municipalities For local governments, SportKompas is more than a fun activity for children. Sport Vlaanderen provides a personalized dashboard per municipality through a secured portal, allowing local sports departments to:

• compare their municipality's test results against the Flemish benchmark
• analyze and compare results across schools within their municipality
• track the year-over-year evolution of physical skill levels
• discover which sports are most popular among children in their region

That data gives municipalities an evidence-based foundation for adjusting their sport and movement policy: where the local sports offering should be expanded, which clubs deserve extra support, and where there's room to raise participation rates. Access runs through the municipality's or school's designated local administrator, integrated into the Flemish government's user management system.

A niche that's still largely untapped

Despite the project's scale, many municipalities and schools are still on the sidelines. For local governments looking to base their sport and movement policy on data rather than guesswork, that's a clear opportunity. Sport Vlaanderen strongly encourages municipalities and schools to make use of the available data - which allow them to better align their sport and movement offering with children's needs, leading to higher participation and greater satisfaction.

Source: Sport Vlaanderen, "SportKompas Factsheet," Kennisplatform Sport Vlaanderen, March 2025. Read the full publication (in Dutch).