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Background: Children born at the beginning of the year may be cognitively, emotionally, and physically more advantageous than those born at the end of the year. Aim: This study aims to determine whether there is a relative age effect (RAE) on the total scores and its components of the gymnasts in their routines, competing in the 1st Rhythmic Gymnastics Junior World Championships Individual All-Around Ranking-Apparatus Qualification in 2019. Methods: 138 gymnasts from 61 countries participated in this competition and 61 gymnasts competed in each apparatus. The total scores (TS) and its components in gymnasts' competition routines were analyzed according to gymnasts' age groups (13, 14, and 15 years old) and period of birth [Group I (those born in the first six months of the year), Group II (those born in the last six months of the year)]. Differences and percentages of change between the two periods were examined. A total of 732 scores (Difficulty, Execution, and Total Scores) were evaluated. Descriptive statistics and the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Test analysis were used for statistical evaluation. Results: When the TS and its components were examined in all age groups and all routines, no significant difference was observed between Group I and Group II in terms of RAE. Conclusion: It is thought that considering the RAE in talent selection and orientation programs, participation in sports activities and performance evaluation may be useful for athletes, coaches, and administrators. Keywords: Rhythmic gymnastics, competition performance scores, relative age effect, gymnast

The relative age effect (RAE) is a phenomenon present in team sports, but it does not influence each gender to the same extent. This study aimed to examine the RAE and its relation to performance in international women's handball competitions (2017/18 World Championships). The sample was composed of 1,096 female players distributed into three categories: youth or under 18 (n = 369); junior or under 20 (n = 328) and senior (n = 399). The teams were divided into four groups based on their final position (medalist, quarter-finalist, eight-finalist and bottom-eight teams). The birthdate distribution (trimesters and semesters) was analysed according to the competition category and the playing position. Differences between the expected and observed birthdate distribution were checked using the chi-square statistical test followed by the calculation of the odds ratio. The results revealed, by trimester, the presence of the RAE in the youth (x2(7) = 87.22; p < 0.001) and junior (x2 (7) = 33.12; p < 0.001) categories, with no impact on senior (p > 0.05). The effect size was relatively strong in the youth category (Vc = 0.48). By semester, the prevalence of the RAE was also found in the senior category (p < 0.05). According to the playing position, the RAE was especially detected in ‘goalkeeper’ (p < 0.01) and ‘centre-back’ (p < 0.05) positions, both in U-18 and U-20 categories. Surprisingly, this effect also appeared in the ‘back’ players in the senior category (p < 0.05). A prevalence of the RAE was identified in teams with a higher final position, but interestingly had a greater impact in the quarter-finalist teams (p < 0.001) than in the medalist teams (p < 0.01). The findings demonstrated that the RAE tends to decrease as the chronological age of players increases, demonstrating a strong presence according to collective performance in international women’s handball.

Relative age effect (RAE) has been found to be particularly pronounced between 13 and 15 years of age in male football. However, the extent to which the phenomenon varies within a country demands a more comprehensive approach.To examine the effects ofA total of 2,693 players (mean age: 14.12 ± 0.38 years), selected by the 22 regional football associations for the last seven editions of the tournament (2013-2019), was included in the sample.Chi-square analysis showed a small-to-medium RAE in the U14 cohort compared to the general Portuguese male population (Our findings confirm that besides being present in U14 Portuguese male football, the magnitude of RAE is influenced by demographic factors. This study also supports the notion that coaching staffs tend to choose players based on attributes associated with chronological age, seeking to achieve short-term competitive outcomes.

Within a group of adolescent Australian Rules Football (ARF) players, individuals of the same chronological age can differ greatly in biological maturation, with some players maturing vastly earlier or later than their peers. Such large differences in maturity can cause a disparity between physical performance, influence the perceptions of talent, and affect training practice. In attempts to address such issues, this overview proposes the concept of bio-banding in ARF, which may be used periodically within the national talent pathway to optimise player development. Bio-banding is the process of grouping adolescent athletes into specific categories or ‘bands’ based on biological maturation, rather than chronological age. This review describes how bio-banding may be used to enhance player development in ARF, giving context to its background and implementation in other sports.

Purpose: This study investigated (1) the transition rate of elite world-class throwers, (2) the age of peak performance in either elite junior and/or elite senior athletes, and (3) if relative age effect (RAE) influences the chance of being considered elite in junior and/or senior category. Methods: The career performance trajectories of 5108 throwers (49.9% females) were extracted from the World Athletics database. The authors identified throwers who had reached the elite level (operationally defined as the World all-time top 50 ranked for each age category) in either junior and/or senior category and calculated the junior-to-senior transition rate. The age of peak performance and the RAE were also investigated. Results: The transition rate at 16 and 18 years of age was 6% and 12% in males and 16% and 24% in females, respectively. Furthermore, elite senior throwers reached their personal best later in life than elite junior throwers. The athletes of both genders considered elite in the junior category showed a large RAE. Interestingly, male athletes who reached the elite level in senior category also showed appreciable RAE. Conclusions: Only a few of the athletes who reach the top 50 in the world at 16 or 18 years of age manage to become elite senior athletes, underlining that success at the beginning of an athletic career does not predict success in the athlete’s senior career. Moreover, data suggest that being relatively older may confer a benefit across the whole career of male throwers.

PurposeThe previous literature finds evidence from birth dates of CEOs that the relative-age effect continually influences their career success. The authors look at a significantly larger collection of CEOs and more exact information on school cut-off dates to reexamine the relative-age effect.Design/methodology/approachThe relative-age effect suggests that older individuals within a cohort are more successful. This study investigates if the relative-age effect exists for CEOs in the S&P 1500 by analyzing the distribution of their relative age. The authors utilize an identification strategy that allows to calculate a CEO's relative age in months and enables to resolve known identification problems.FindingsThe authors find no support for the existence of the relative-age effect for CEOs either by season of birth or relative age in months. On the whole, the distribution of CEO birth dates is similar to the US population. Additionally, the authors find no evidence of a relative-age effect on firm performance.Practical implicationsContrary to previous findings, there appears to be no relative-age cohort effect for CEOs of major corporations.Originality/valueResearch shows that CEO characteristics shape firm strategy that in turn affects firm performance. Despite previous work that suggests a relative-age effect, the authors provide a more comprehensive data set and better measurement of relative-age within a cohort. The authors find that the relative-age effect does not continue throughout a CEO's career, and therefore, birth dates are not a characteristic that influences firm strategy and performance.

Due to the fixed school start in Norway in August of the calendar year of students’ sixth birthday, the age span in one class is up to twelve months. This can impact academic performance both in the early years and later. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between birth month and mathematics performance by paying attention to the content and cognitive domains addressed in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015. In Norway, the TIMSS 2015 included four cohorts, enabling a comparison between grades. We find significant correlations between birth month and mathematics performance overall as well as in all content and cognitive domains for grades 4, 5 and 8. Furthermore, the gap in mathematics results between the youngest and the oldest in a cohort is less in grade 9 than in grade 4. We suggest that these findings have implications for mathematics teachers’ practice.

O presente relatório apresenta primeiramente uma introdução onde são apresentados os objetivos formativos definidos pelo aluno e onde é feita uma contextualização do clube onde o estágio foi realizado. Seguidamente, foi apresentada a revisão de literatura, que serviu de suporte à prática profissional. Na área 1 foi apresentado todo o trabalho que foi desenvolvido ao longo desta época no que diz respeito à organização e gestão do processo de treino e de competição. Na área 2 foi realizado um estudo científico que teve como objetivo perceber se dentro do escalão “Iniciados” do clube existia o Efeito da Idade Relativa, tendo em conta a distribuição das datas de nascimento, a posição específica do jogador e a média do total de minutos jogados no decorrer da época. A área 3 correspondeu à realização de um evento para a comunidade. Este contou com a presença de múltiplos profissionais do futebol, visto que o objetivo foi demonstrar as diversas saídas existentes dentro da modalidade. Assim, este relatório teve como objetivo aprofundar conhecimentos a nível do planeamento e operacionalização do treino, também a nível do tema do Efeito da Idade Relativa, procurando contribuir para melhorar e alertar para a intervenção do treinador na formação. The present report starts by showing a brief introduction where the student presents his objectives and tries to contextualize the club where the internship was held. After this, it was presented a literature review which served as theoretical support to the professional practice. In the Area 1 it was shown all the work that was developed in this season regarding the organization and management of the training and competition process. In Area 2 it was realized a study which main objetive was to see if there was a Relative Age Effect in the age category (Iniciados), taking into account some different variables such as the date distribuition, the specific position, and the mean of total minutes played. Finally, the third area had the objetive of organising an event for the community. This event counted with a lot of football professionals since its main objetive was to show the different professional paths one can follow in football. Hence, this report had the goal to develop knowledge about the planning and operationalization of the training process, as well as develop more knowledge about the Relative Age Effect, looking to contribute to improve and alert the coach intervention in youth soccer

U rukometu, ali i u pojedinim ekipnim sportovima, datum rođenja primjenjuje se kao osnovni kriterij formiranja natjecateljskih skupina u mlađim dobnim kategorijama. Organizacija natjecanja za mlađe dobne skupine podrazumijeva spajanje dva uzastopna godišta, te se u rukometu u Hrvatskoj do nedavno neparno godište pridruživalo parnom. Ovakvim sustavom, razlike među mladim sportašima dolaze sve više do izražaja, jer se često nalaze u različitom stupnju sazrijevanja, te se mlađi sportaši u svojoj natjecateljskoj skupini najčešće stavljaju u podređeni položaj u odnosu na starije. Taj fenomen, uzrokovan razlikama kronološke dobi poznat je pod nazivom relativna dob, a njegove posljedice opisuju se pod nazivom utjecaj relativne dobi. Primarni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi razinu prisutnosti utjecaja relativne dobi među polaznicima istih natjecateljskih, mlađih dobnih skupina s obzirom na kvartal i godinu rođenja, duljinu vremena treniranja, prisutnosti na treninzima, igračkoj poziciji te razumijevanju rukometne igre. Uzorak ispitanika sadrži 107 mladih rukometaša smještenih u trenutno važeće natjecateljske skupine za mlađe dobne kategorije. Za utvrđivanje razlika između skupina rođenih parne i neparne godine obzirom na promatrane varijable primijenio se χ2-test (hikvadrat test) i t-test za nezavisne uzorke sa razinom značajnosti od 0,05. Statistički značajne razlike između parnih i neparnih godišta dobivene su prema kriteriju razumijevanja rukometne igre (p=0,04) te igračkih pozicija (p=0,04). Od ukupno 62 dječaka rođenih parne godine, njih 33 (53,23%) zadovoljava kriterij razumijevanja rukometne igre, odnosno 29 (46,77%) ne zadovoljava. Sa druge strane, od ukupno 45 dječaka rođenih neparne godine, tek njih 15 (33,33%) zadovoljava navedeni kriterij, dok čak 30 (77,77%) ne zadovoljava. Statistički značajnu razliku koja se odnosi na kriterij igračkih pozicija dobivena je među skupinom vanjskih napadača. Od ukupno 40 vanjskih napadača, uključujući i parna i neparna godišta, dobiven je omjer 28 : 12, odnosno 70% naspram 30% u korist parnih godišta. Statistički značajne razlike između parnih i neparnih godišta nisu dobivene prema kriteriju prisutnosti na treninzima (p=0,81), te duljini vremena treniranja (p=0,14). In handball, but also in other team sports, date of birth applies as main criterion for forming competition groups in younger age categories. Competition organization in younger age categories implies merging two consecutive years, and in handball in Croatia until recently the players born in uneven years had been joining to the ones born in even years. With this kind of system, differences between young athletes have become more and more noticeable, because they are often not sharing the same status of maturation, where younger athletes in competition groups are placed in unequal position in regard to older athletes. This phenomenon, caused by chronological age differences is known by the name of relative age, and the consequences are referred to as the relative age effect. The main purpose of this master’s thesis was to determine the level of presence of relative age effect between athletes in same competition groups considering quartal and year of birth, overall length of training time, attendance at trainings, player positions and understanding the handball game. A sample of survey contains considered 107 young handball players placed in currently valid competition groups for younger age categories. Chi-squared tests with significance level of 0,05 were performed to determine if there are significant differences between even and uneven years of birth in relation to the observed variables. Statistically significant differences between the players having even and uneven years of birth were found according to criterion of understanding the handball game (p=0,04) and player positions (p=0,04). From overall 62 boys having uneven year of birth, 33 (53,23%) of them satisfy criterion of understanding the handball game, whereas relatively 29 (46,77%) of them don’t. On the other side, from 45 boys having even year of birth, only 15 (33,33%) of them satisfy the same criterion, relatively 30 (77,77%) of them don’t. Statistically significant difference relating to criterion player positions were found in back attacking positions. From overall 40 attacking back positions, including those having even and uneven years of birth, a ratio of 28 : 12 was obtained in favour of even years, that is 70% in opposition to 30%. Statistically significant differences between those having even and uneven years were not found according to criterion attendance at trainings (p=0,81) and overall length of training time (p=0,14).

In the sport context, the need for reaching short term competitive outcomes may influence the emergence of conscious or unconscious talent selection strategies that could bias individual´s opportunities. One of this bias is the ‘relative age effect’ (RAE), which refers to a disproportionately higher participation in sports amongst athletes born early in the selection year than those born late. In our study, physical fitness, attentional functioning and football-specific tactical performance indicators were compared across the different trimesters of the selection year

Background: Both maturity and relative age selection biases are entrenched within professional academy soccer programmes. Lay opinion, and that of some scholars, holds that relative age effects exist as a product of advanced biological maturity, that is relatively older players succeed as a consequence of the physical and athletic advantages afforded by earlier maturation. There is, however, a growing body of evidence to suggest that this is not the case, and that relative age and maturation should be considered and treated as independent constructs. Purpose: To avoid a disconnect between contemporary academic evidence and practitioner practice, the aim of this commentary is to provide a discussion of pre-existing and new evidence relating to maturity and relative age selection biases in soccer. It is hoped that this commentary will provide an overview of new insight regarding the differences between the two selection phenomena and enable practitioners who are responsible for the (de)selection of academy soccer players for talent development programmes to make more informed decisions regarding their retention/selection strategies.

This retrospective study investigated whether corrective adjustment procedures can remove the relative age effect (RAE) from world-class junior sprinters at the beginning of their career. A total of 2,918 male and 3,029 female athletes competing in sprint races (100 m, 200 m, and 400 m) of the World Athletics lists between 2000 and 2018 were considered. Longitudinal quadratic trendline equations across ages 16-25 yrs were calculated considering athletes' exact age and respective performance. Corrective adjustment calculations from the estimated longitudinal quadratic equations were applied at 16 yrs and 17 yrs. RAE was investigated for the whole sample and top-level athletes (i.e., first Top50 and Top100) considering the uncorrected and corrected performance. Moderate to large RAE was observed in Top50 and Top100 at 16 yrs. Differently, a lower RAE was observed at 17 yrs. When re-examining the data using the corrective adjustment calculations, the RAE disappeared in all sprint events and both genders at 16 yrs, while a more equal distribution was observed at 17 yrs. Corrective adjustment procedures can remove or at least reduce the RAE in world-class sprinters. Applying simple equations based on exact age might improve the accuracy of performance evaluation and talent identification in international track and field sprint competitions.

Introdução: O efeito da idade relativa (EIR) pode ser entendido como a diferença na idade cronológica de indivíduos nascidos no mesmo ano de seleção, bem como pelas vantagens maturacionais em relação a seus pares nascidos no mesmo ano, o que parece favorecer o desempenho para determinadas categorias esportivas. Objetivo: Verificar a presença do EIR em nadadores participantes do Campeonato Mundial de Esportes Aquáticos Budapeste 2017.Métodos: Estudo seccional retrospectivo, que utilizou dados secundários, do qual fizeram parte 983 atletas de natação. O critério de inclusão foi integrar os 30 melhores atletas de cada prova do campeonato mundial de 2017. Foi realizado o teste qui-quadrado com análise de proporção 2x2 com correção de Bonferroni entre cada quartil. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que não foi verificado EIR ao se analisar o sexo, porém observou-se tal efeito segundo tipos de prova (velocidade; p=0,02) e etapas da competição (eliminatória e semifinal; p=0,01). Conclusão: Concluiu-se que houve EIR em nadadores de provas de velocidade e nos participantes das fases eliminatórias e semifinais. Sugere-se que outros estudos sejam desenvolvidos considerando os campeonatos subsequentes a fim de que esse efeito seja observado.

Age-groups are commonly implemented in education and sports in order to provide fair and equal opportunities. Various studies, however, have shown a competitive advantage for early born children over their relatively younger peers, which is referred to as relative age effect. The present study examined differences in various components of physical fitness in Austrian elementary-school children. A total of 18,168 children (51% boys) between 6 and 11 years of age provided valid data on anthropometric characteristics and physical fitness. Specifically, children completed eight fitness tests that assessed cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and power, speed, agility, flexibility and object control. Across age-specific quartiles, older children were significantly taller and heavier than their younger peers. Older children also displayed better performance for strength and power, speed, agility and object control, while differences in cardio-respiratory endurance were less pronounced. These results highlight the presence of a relative age effect during the elementary school years and emphasize the need to consider individual differences in the evaluation of children’s performance. As all children should be given equal opportunities to engage successfully in physical education and sports, physical education teachers and youth coaches need to be educated on the implications of a relative age effect.

Athletes born late in the selection year are disadvantaged compared to the relatively older in youth age groups. This leads to an overrepresentation of the early-born in professional teams, which i...

The relative age effect (RAE) is a phenomenon that represents how young athletes who are born early in the selection year are often overrepresented within youth sport settings. The contact nature of rugby union may further magnify the physiological advantages of those athletes who are chronologically older. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the RAE within English age-grade rugby union. Male (

Diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of ADHD are more common among the youngest children in a classroom, born in the months immediately preceding the school entry cutoff date. The mechanisms behind this phenomenon, called the relative age effect (RAE), are not yet well understood. Nearly all hypotheses involve the school system, various teachers’ actions, and concern children’s immaturity. However, most previous studies have been based on reports of health professionals’ diagnoses and prescriptions found in official databases rather than on reports of teachers’ behavior identification or suspicion of ADHD, despite their being at the first stages of the medicalization process. Our study overcomes this limitation by using reports of parents’ and teachers’ behavior identification or suspicion of ADHD within a three-level multilevel survey design, comprising 1294 children, 130 teachers, and 17 elementary public schools. The goal of our study was to investigate whether RAE stems (1) from adults’ judgement of the child’s expression of immaturity or (2) from the consequences associated with the child’s double burden of being immature and exhibiting ADHD behaviors. Our multilevel analyses put forward the first hypothesis only, supporting the medicalization of immaturity. RAE in ADHD seems mostly initiated by teachers’ pre-diagnostic actions toward younger children.

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of months of birth on anthropometry, body composition, biological maturation, and motor performance in young Brazilian soccer players. Young Brazilian soccer players from the Under-13 (n = 50; 13.6 ± 0.3 years), Under-15 (n = 50; 15.5 ± 0.4 years), and Under-17 categories (n = 46; 17.7 ± 0.3 years) took part in this study. Athletes were divided according to chronological age, 1st tertile (January to April); 2nd tertile (May to August); and 3rd tertile (September to December). Anthropometry, body composition, biological maturation, and motor performance variables were evaluated for all participants. There were no differences between the U-13, U-15, and U-17 categories regarding birth tertiles (p > 0.05). Differences between the ages and birth tertiles were observed for the stature, body mass, and lean body mass (p < 0.05). Moreover, differences were found in maturational status between the ages and birth tertiles (p < 0.05). In general, U-13 players showed lower values compared to U-15 and U-17 players in tests of motor performance. In addition, there was a difference in motor performance between the birth tertiles only for RSA variables. The months of birth influenced the stature, body mass, lean body mass, and repeated sprint ability in the U-13 and U-15 categories. Thus, care should be taken during the process of talent selection, as many young players could be underestimated due to their date of birth.

The objective of the study was to verify the existence of overrepresentation of players born in the first part of the year or Relative Age Effect (RAE), in Chilean elite men's basketball. The distribution by month, quarter, and semester of players’ birthdates were obtained from the official rosters of the National Basketball League of Chile (LNB) for the 2019-20 season. These were compared to the distribution of births in Chile between 1977 and 2005. The statistical significance of the differences between expected and observed distribution was verified using the 2 test (monthly and quarterly) and a binomial distribution (semi-annual). The three analyses yielded significant differences between the expected and observed distribution, with an overrepresentation of those born in the first semester, first quarter, and January and an underrepresentation of those born in the second semester, fourth quarter, and December. It is concluded that there is sufficient evidence to confirm the existence of RAE in LNB. To reduce RAE, measures are proposed to educate coaches about the effects of age differences on performance and the establishment of mobile cut-off dates during the competitive season.

"The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has changed its youth competition system in 2004, and due to this regulation, many players had the chance to compete every year at youth level and later, to elevate to the top. The purpose of our study was to inspect those medal-winning European basketball players who competed in the past 19 senior basketball world events. We analysed the tendencies of selection by dissecting the set-up of successful senior national teams. We investigated each one of the 281 European basketball players who won a medal during the analysed period (2000-2019). We collected data from the archive page of FIBA. Our goal was to see whether there was a relation between the youth competition experience and the minutes spent in senior world events. We used the Cramer Association Coefficient, Relative Age Effect and average age were also inspected. We found that participation in the national youth tournaments is important but not the most exclusive factor of selection. There are opportunities for success in the adult national teams for players who have covered alternative sports careers – the factor of national youth experience is not exclusive. We suppose that head coaches utilize older and more experienced players on the Olympic Games, the average ages of successful Olympic medal-winner teams are higher than other world events’ medallists. Despite the fact that we were not able to find statistically proven and associative relationship between national youth recruitment eligibility and the minutes in game spent by successful adult players, further research could be gap fillers in exploring key factors in adulthood efficiency. Keywords: talent selection, competition experience, FIBA, basketball players, sport career."

This study aimed to determine whether players selected for the under 11 team of a professional youth football academy outperform their deselected peers in physical, technical and gross motor coordination skills, or in psycho-social capacities. Of the young players active at different amateur clubs yearly 2% were scouted to participate at trainings and matches from an academy before the first objective baseline testing (season 1 n = 54 boys, season 2 n = 49, age: 9.25 ± 0.46). Most of the scouted players ( n = 103) were born in the first quarter of the year (47.6%) and started playing football at a young age (4.80 ± 0.84). Mann–Whitney U tests showed that the selected under 11 players ( n = 31) from the reduced pool outperformed their deselected peers ( n = 72) in the 30-m slalom sprint, dribble test and Loughborough soccer passing test, and on sport learning-, motor-, creative- and interpersonal capacity ( P