Resumo. ABSTRACT This study aimed at carrying out a systematic review of the researches that have assessed the impact of sport on high performance young athletes by using the positive youth development approach as the theoretical support. The searches were conducted in 8 databases; 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. There is a predominance of articles recently published in English with young people of both sexes and from different sports. The variables related to the coach and the athletes seem to have a more impact than the team ones. More personal benefits than social ones were seen. It was concluded that high performance sport may promote personal and social benefits in young athletes. There is a need for further disclosure of the positive youth development approach in the context of high performance sport in different countries.