Makaruk, HubertGrants, JurisBodasińska, AnnaBula-Biteniece, IntaZieliński, JanuszDravniece, IrēnaStarzak, MarcinCiekurs, KalvisPiech, KrzysztofMakaruk, BeataŽīdens, JanisKalniņš, KārlisSadowski, Jerzy2024-10-212024-10-212023-09-01Makaruk, H, Grants, J, Bodasińska, A, Bula-Biteniece, I, Zieliński, J, Dravniece, I, Starzak, M, Ciekurs, K, Piech, K, Makaruk, B, Žīdens, J, Kalniņš, K & Sadowski, J 2023, 'Exploring Cross-Cultural Differences in Fundamental Motor Skills Proficiency Between Polish and Latvian Children', Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 12-17. https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2023-00141899-1998https://dspace.rsu.lv/jspui/handle/123456789/16790Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Hubert Makaruk et al., published by Sciendo.Introduction. Fundamental motor skills (FMS) are a critical component of success in various sports and lifelong physical activity (PA). This study aimed to evaluate and compare the FMS proficiency levels of 7-9-year-old children from Poland and Latvia, providing insights into the current state of motor competence in these populations. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study design was utilized, incorporating a sample of 163 boys and girls. The FUS test (Fundamental Motor Skills in Sport), a comprehensive, qualitative, and process-oriented assessment tool was used to assess FMS. The FUS test encompassed a range of movement tasks, including hurdles, jumping rope, forward roll, ball bouncing, ball throwing and catching, and kicking and stopping a ball that allows for a thorough evaluation of FMS proficiency. Results. The study revealed alarmingly low FMS proficiency levels in both countries, with 93.3% of students displaying 'insufficient FMS proficiency'. The Mann-Whitney U test showed that Latvian boys outperformed their Polish peers in jumping rope and forward roll (p < 0.05), while Polish boys exhibited superior results in kicking and stopping a ball (p < 0.05). In contrast, Polish girls achieved significantly higher scores in hurdles and kicking and stopping a ball (p < 0.05) compared to Latvian girls, who scored higher in jumping rope (p < 0.05). Conclusions. These findings highlight the urgent need for effective, evidence-based interventions to improve motor competence in both countries, emphasizing the importance of incorporating FMS development into physical education curricula and promoting regular PA for children.6566093enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessfundamental movement skillsFUS testmotor competencephysical education3.3 Health sciences5.2 Economy and Business1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus databaseOrthopedics and Sports MedicinePhysical Therapy, Sports Therapy and RehabilitationTourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article10.2478/pjst-2023-0014http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174384768&partnerID=8YFLogxK