Studying youth's involvement in sports classes in Latvia is mainly connected with individual activity, because only a few of Latvian higher educational establishments include sports classes in their programs. The objective of this research is to evaluate the most significant factors which activate sports activity from students' perspective. Research materials are based on literature analysis and surveying of 189 Latvian Academy of Sport Education students on the most significant factors affecting sports activity motivation during studies. Important characteristic of motivation is its dual – positively-denying structure. So individually important goals will not always be fulfilled, because they can be affected by certain factors of the social environment, including upbringing, peers' views and attitudes, as well as actions predicted results. Result. When analyzing the sports and movement activity motivating factors in the self-assessment of 189 students one must conclude that: 1. Sports are considered an important way of maintaining one's health and overcoming stress by 97% of students; 2. The most important factors encouraging movement activities among students are: the presence of a sports specialist (155), availability of appropriate equipment (139), and the quality of the sports premises (137), 91 student (mainly men) also remarked that the presence of friends and sports partners is important to them; 3. The majority of students (61%) think that they should improve their sports skills, but 30% of the women and 46% of the men think that they do not have a sufficient competence level of sports methodologies; 4. 97% of the respondents voiced their support for increasing the role of universities in promoting active student lifestyle, and including sports in the university curriculum. Overall youth appraise as significant for sports activities the following motivational factors: qualitative sports activity environment, individual goals and supportive social group, and public interest in creating an active lifestyle. It is advisable to take students' opinions into consideration while developing Sports policy guidelines for years 2013-2020 include introducing sports classes for first-year students of all higher educational establishments and improving sports environment infrastructure quality.