Are the World Junior Championship Finalists for Middle- and Long-Distance Events Currently Competing at International Level?

Purpose:To analyze how many finalists of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships (WJCs) in the middle- and long-distance track events had dropped out from high-level competitions.Methods:Starting from 2002, the 8 male and the 8 female finalists in the middle- and long-distance events of 6 editions of the WJC were followed until 2015 to evaluate how many missed the IAAF rankings for 2 consecutive years starting from the year after WJC participation. For those still competing at elite level, their careers were monitored.Results:In 2015, 61% of the 2002, 54.8% of the 2004, 48.3% of the 2006, 37.5% of the 2008, 26.2% of the 2010, and 29% of the 2012 WJC finalists were not present in the IAAF rankings. Of the 368 athletes considered, 75 (20.4%) were able to achieve the IAAF top 10 in 2.4 ± 2.2 y. There is evidence of relationships between dropout and gender (P = .040), WJC edition (P = .000), and nationality (P = .010) and between the possibility to achieve the IAAF top 10 and dropout (P = .000), continent (P = .001), relative age effect (P = .000), and quartile of birth (P = .050).Conclusions:Even if 23 of the finalists won a medal at the Olympic Games or at the World Championships, it is still not clear if participation at the WJC is a prerequisite to success at a senior level.

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Prevalence and Impact of the Relative Age Effect on Competition Performance in Swimming: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph182010561 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (20) ◽

pp. 10561

Author(s):

Jorge Lorenzo-Calvo ◽

Alfonso de la Rubia ◽

Daniel Mon-López ◽

Monica Hontoria-Galán ◽

Moises Marquina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Age Effect ◽

Average Score ◽

Competitive Swimming ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact ◽

Effective Design

This systematic review aimed to examine the prevalence of the relative age effect (RAE) in swimming and its impact on competition performance according to different types of interacting constraints. A systematic literature search, following the PRISMA guidelines for preparing systematic reviews, was performed through four electronic databases, and nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the selected studies was evaluated using STROBE, and an average score of 16.2 points was obtained. In these studies, the prevalence of the RAE in swimming was observed in more than half (58.65%) of the participants analysed, and the effect of the RAE was more accentuated in young categories (decreased as age increased and was inverted in older ones) and in male swimmers (double that in female swimmers).The impact of the RAE on competitive performance appeared to be related to the strength demands of the event, as the performance in simultaneous strokes, in shorter events, and of swimmers in the postadolescence period seems to be more affected by the RAE. These results indicate that the RAE in competitive swimming relies on individual and environmental (the swimmer’s age group and gender) but also task (the competitive events) determinants or limitations. This should serve as a guide for a more effective design of selection and development procedures for young athletes.

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Efecto relativo de la edad en el circuito profesional de Pádel (The relative age effect in the professional Padel circuit)

Retos ◽

10.47197/retos.v0i41.76857 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 519-523

Author(s):

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno ◽

Carla Serrano Gonzalez ◽

Iñaki Quintana-García ◽

Miriam Granado Peinado

Keyword(s):

Age Effect ◽

Relative Effect ◽

Relevant Factor ◽

Month Of Birth ◽

General Group ◽

Relative Age ◽

Racket Sports ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

The World ◽

Effect Of Age

El pádel ha pasado a ser a uno de los deportes más practicados en España. El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar el Efecto Relativo de la Edad (RAE) en los jugadores del circuito de World Pádel Tour (WPT) (n=395) teniendo en cuenta el mes de nacimiento, género, nacionalidad, edad y ranking. La distribución trimestral observada no fue significativamente diferente (χ2; p>.05) a la esperada para el grupo general o para cualquiera de las subcategorías analizadas. Por tanto, no parece confirmarse un efecto de la edad relativa en los jugadores profesionales de pádel analizados, considerando el ranking, género y nacionalidad, a diferencia de lo que ocurre en otros deportes de raqueta. En este sentido, esta investigación constata que la fecha de nacimiento no es un factor relevante en el circuito de WPT y confirma que llegar a la élite del pádel no se basa exclusivamente en factores físicos y antropométricos. Abstract: Padel has become one of the most practiced sports in Spain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Relative Effect of Age (RAE) in the World Padel Tour (WPT) circuit players (n = 395) taking into account the month of birth, gender, nationality, age and ranking. The quarterly distribution observed was not significantly different (χ2; p> .05) than expected for the general group or for any of the subcategories analyzed. Therefore, it does not seem to confirm an effect of relative age on professional padel players analyzed, considering the ranking, gender and nationality, unlike what happens in other racket sports. Thus, this investigation confirms that the date of birth is not a relevant factor in the WPT circuit and confirms that reaching the elite of the paddle that is not based exclusively on physical and anthropometric factors.

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Relative Age Effect and Gender Differences in Physical Education Attainment in Norwegian Schoolchildren

Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research ◽

10.1080/00313831.2016.1148073 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 369-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tore Kristian Aune ◽

Arve Vorland Pedersen ◽

Rolf Petter Ingvaldsen ◽

Terje Dalen

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Physical Education ◽

Age Effect ◽

Education Attainment ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

And Gender

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Relative Age Effect in the Girls’ Volleyball U18 World Championship

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.2478/hukin-2019-0106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 195-202

Author(s):

Fábio A. D. Campos ◽

Ídico L. Pellegrinotti ◽

Leandra C. B. Campos ◽

Tiago M. R. Dias ◽

Miguel-Ángel Gómez

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Age Effect ◽

Equal Distribution ◽

World Championship ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

The World ◽

Volleyball Players ◽

And Performance ◽

Age Category

AbstractThe relative age effect (RAE), within the sporting scope, refers to the possible advantages of participation and performance of athletes born in the first months of the year of selection in relation to others within the same age category. The aim of the present study was to investigate the RAE in girls’ volleyball players participating in the U-18 World Championship, analysing the differences between the medal teams and other teams in the tournament, and considering this phenomenon in relation to the continents. Data collection was obtained from the website of the International Volleyball Federation with a sample made of 1654 youth players in the last six world championships (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017). A greater representation of athletes born in the first months of the year of all the world championships was observed. In the comparison among the continents, it was observed that in Africa, there was a more equal distribution of quartiles compared to America, Asia and Europe. It should be noted that there was a higher percentage of medalist athletes born at the beginning of the year in comparison to the countries that placed in the last three positions of the championship. Therefore, in U-18 female volleyball, there is an advantage to have the closest birth age at the beginning of the competitive biennium.

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Efecto relativo de la edad en futbol: estudio en un club Vasco profesional (Relative age effect in soccer: a study in a professional Basque club)

Retos ◽

10.47197/retos.v0i25.34489 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 95-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iraia Bidaurrazaga-Letona ◽

Aduna Badiola ◽

Cristina Granados ◽

José Antonio Lekue ◽

Markos Amado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Age Groups ◽

Age Effect ◽

Birth Date ◽

Identification Process ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Selection Processes ◽

Palabras Clave ◽

High Level

El efecto relativo de la edad (RAE) ha sido ampliamente estudiado en futbol revelando una distribución de nacimientos sesgada que favorece a los jugadores nacidos en los primeros meses del año. También, se ha observado que el efecto es más relevante en los equipos de alto nivel. Con esto en mente, este estudio analiza el predominio del efecto relativo de la edad en diferentes equipos de un club de futbol profesional así como en los procesos de selección de este. Considerando todo el equipo, la distribución difiere significantemente de la distribución teórica esperada (p<.05). Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los nacimientos observados y los esperados en las categorías alevines (masculino, x2 = 8.14, p<.05; femenino, x2 = 11.5, p<.01). Además, en la categoría femenina no hubo ninguna jugadora nacida entre septiembre y diciembre del año de selección. Sin embargo, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los resultados esperados y observados en categorías superiores a pesar de observarse una distribución sesgada. En conjunto, hubo una sobrerrepresentación de jugadores nacidos en los primeros meses del año en todo el equipo confirmando la presencia del RAE en el club. Por otra parte, al analizar el efecto en los procesos de selección confirmamos que este comenzaba antes de que los jugadores ingresasen en el club. Se observaron diferencias significativas en todas las fases de selección entre los jugadores seleccionados y no seleccionados (x2 = 18.10-7.80, p<.05). En consecuencia, podemos decir que el RAE comienza en la identificación temprana de los jugadores. Palabras clave: Fecha de nacimiento, RAE, fútbol, club profesional.Abstract: The presence of RAE has been widely reported and studied in soccer revealing skewed birth-date distributions favoring individuals born early in the selection year. Indeed, it has been documented that RAE is more relevant in high level teams. With this in mind, the present study examined the prevalence of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in different age groups of a professional soccer club and in the selection processes of the same club. Considering the entire club, distribution differs significantly from the theoretical distribution expected (p<.05). Regarding different categories, there were significant differences between the observed and expected births in both alevin categories (male, x2 = 8.14, p<.05; female, x2 = 11.5, p<.01). Moreover, in womens alevin age group none of the players was born between September and December of the selection year. Nevertheless, they were not significant differences between the expected and observed results in higher categories but a comparatively biased distribution was observed. Overall, we found an over-representation of players born at the beginning of the year confirming the presence of the RAE in the club. When analyzing the effect of RAE in the talent identification process we observed that it begins before the players enter the club. Comparing the distributions of the not-selected players against the selected players significant differences were found in each of the selection phases (x2 = 18.10-7.80, p<.05). Thus, results revealed that the relative age effect acts in the early identification process of the players.Keywords: Birth date, RAE, soccer, professional club.

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Relative age effect in Brazilian handball selections

Journal of Physical Education ◽

10.4025/jphyseduc.v32i1.3227 ◽

1989 ◽

Author(s):

Julio Cesar da Costa ◽

◽

Flavio Afonso Montes ◽

Vinicius Muller Reis Weber ◽

Paulo Henrique Borges ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Selection Process ◽

Great Influence ◽

Age Effect ◽

International Federation ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Significance Level ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

The World ◽

Game Position

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative age effect (RAE) in Brazilian male handball teams who competed in the world championships in the U-19, U-21, and adult categories. The sample was composed by 160 male handball players, 47 players being on U-19 category, 48 on U-21, and 65 on Adult category. The chronological age, body mass, height, and game position of each athlete were obtained on the International Federation of Handball website. The adopted significance level was of 5%. RAE was observed in all the three following categories U-19 (X2=21.511, P<0.01), U-21 (X2=15.894, P=0.01) and Adults (X2=35.123, P<0.01). Moreover, no RAE was found in re-selection process by sequential category (P= 0.63, U-19 to U-21; P= 0.46, U-21 to Adult). The RAE is found in Brazilian male handball national teams. However, this effect was not found in re-selection process, thus, players have great influence of RAE in U-19 and this remains through subsequent categories.

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Relative Age Effect in 14- to 18-Year-Old Athletes and Their Initial Approach to This Effect—Has Anything Changed Over the Past 10 Years?

Frontiers in Sports and Active Living ◽

10.3389/fspor.2021.622120 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Ronnie Lidor ◽

Zohar Maayan ◽

Michal Arnon

Keyword(s):

Female Athletes ◽

Age Effect ◽

Birth Date ◽

Male Athletes ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

Team Handball ◽

Sport Programs ◽

Additional Support ◽

High Level

One of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport is the relative age effect (RAE). The purpose of our study was threefold: (a) to calculate the RAE in young Israeli athletes (ages 14–18 years); (b) to examine how the athletes perceived this effect, if the effect indeed exists; and (c) to compare the RAE findings of this study with those of two previous studies on elite male (Lidor et al., 2010) and female (Lidor et al., 2014) Israeli ballplayers. Participants in the current study were 1,397 athletes (390 females and 1,007 males) who competed in five individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and five team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports. Data on the RAE, as well as on a number of aspects associated with this effect as perceived by the athletes, were collected via two closed questions. Data analyses showed that the RAE was found to be significant among the male athletes in four sports—swimming, basketball, soccer, and team handball; those who were born early in the year had a higher representation in these sport programs. However, this effect was not found to be significant in the female athletes. Most of the female and male athletes did not think that their birth date influenced their athletic success. However, a large portion of those who were born in the first quarter of the year (Q1) and the second quarter of the year (Q2) among the male athletes felt that they exhibited stronger abilities in the sports program compared to their peers who were born in the third and fourth quarters of the year (Q3 and Q4, respectively). The data of the current study provide additional support for the use of an “open door” approach to accepting children to sport programs by policymakers and coaches in Israel.

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