The study of relative age effects on weightlifting athletes in U15 and youth age groups

Year 2023, , 7 - 15, 30.03.2023

Kenan Erdağı , Bülent Işık

https://doi.org/10.31459/turkjkin.1242562

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Within the sporting scope, the relative age effects refer 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 groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative age effects by comparing athletes in different body weight categories in the Under 15 (U-15) and youth age group athletes (males and females) in weightlifting. By using retrospective competition data from the Turkish Weightlifting Federation database, a total of 954 Olympic-style weightlifters (U15 and Youth age groups), 605 males and 349 females), who competed in the Turkish Weightlifting Championships between 2018 and 2019, were included in this study. The data on the birthdates of the athletes were divided into four quarters. The athletes were divided into three subset weight classes. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test. In males, the relative age effects were determined in lightweight athletes in the under 15 age group (χ²(3)= 10.00, p< .05), in lightweight athletes in the youth age group (χ²(3)= 10.83, p< .05), in middleweight category (χ²(3)= 14.09, p< .01) and heavyweight category (χ²(3)= 12.96, p< .01). However, relative age effects were not present in the female under 15 age group (p>.05). It can be stated that weightlifting athletes, under 15 age and youth age groups (except youth females), born in the first quarter of the year have a higher chance of success in athletic performance.

Keywords

Olympic style weightlifting, relative age effects, weight categories

Supporting Institution

yok

Project Number

yok

Thanks

The author thanks International Weightlifting Referee, Necla Erdoğan and instructor Erkan Özbay for their contribution to this study.

References

• Abel, E. L., Kruger, M. M., &Pandya, K. (2011). A Relative Age Effect in Men’s but Not Women’s Professional Baseball: 1943–1954. Psychol Rep, 109(1), 285–288.
• Canbolat, S. (2021). Kadın Üreme Fizyolojisi. In E. Ağar (Ed.), İnsan Fizyolojisi (pp.999-1013). İstanbul Tıp Kitabevleri Publishers, İstanbul. (In Turkish).
• Agricola, A., Bozděch, M., & Zháněl, J. (2020). The influence of the relative age effect in the Czech youth ice hockey league. Monten J Sports Sci Med, 9(2), 27-33.
• Agricola, A., Zháněl, J., & Hubáček, O. (2013). Relative age effect in junior tennis (male). Acta Gymnica, 2013, 43(1), 27-33.
• Albuquerque, M. R., Lage, G. M., Costa, V.T. da, Ferreira, R. M., Penna, E. M., Moraes, L. C.C.de A., & Malloy-Diniz, L. F. (2012). Relative age effect in olympic taekwondo athletes. Percept Mot Skills, 114(2), 461-468.
• Augste, C., & Lames, M. (2011). The relative age effect and success in German elite U-17 soccer teams. J Sports Sci, 29(9), 983–987.
• Baker, J., & Logan, A. J. (2007). Developmental contexts and sporting success: Birthdate and birthplace effects in national hockey league draftees 2000/2005. Br J Sports Med, 41(8), 515–517.
• Barnsley, R. H., Thompson, A. H., & Legault, P. (1992). Family planning: Football style. The relative age effect in football. Int Rev Sociol Sport, 27(1), 77–87.
• Baxter-Jones, A. (1995). Growth and development of young athletes: Should competition levels be age related? Sports Med, 20, 59–64.
• Brazo-Sayavera, J., Martínez-Valencia, M. A., Müller, L., Andronikos, G., &Martindale, R. J. J. (2016). Identifying talented track and field athletes: The impact of relative age effect on selection to the Spanish National Athletics Federation training camps. J Sports Sci, 35(22), 2172–2178.
• Côté, J., Macdonald, D. J., Baker, J., & Abernethy, B. (2006). When “where” is more important than “when”: Birthplace and birthdate effects on the achievement of sporting expertise. J Sports Sci, 24(10), 1065–1073.
• Daniel, T. E., & Janssen, C. T. L. (1987). More on the relative age effect. Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, 53, 21-24.
• Delormé, N., Boiché, J., & Raspaud, M. (2010). Relative sports effect in elite sports: Methodological bias or real discrimination? Eur J Sport Sci, 10(2),91-96.
• Delorme, N., & Raspaud, M. (2009). The relative age effect in young French basketball players: a study on the whole population. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 19(2), 235–242.
• Edgar, S., and O’Donoghue, P. (2005). Season of birth distribution of elite tennis players. J Sports Sci, 23(10), 1013-1020.
• Erdağı, K. (2019). Olympic weightlifting training and muscle groups working in weight training. Ankara: Gazi Publishers.
• European Weightlifting Federation. (2021, April) https://www.ewfed.com/regulations.html
• Grondin, S., & Koren, S. (2000). The relative age effect in Professional baseball: A look at the history of Major League Baseball and at current status in Japan. Avante, 6, 64-74.
• Helsen, W. F., Starkes, J. L., & Van Winckel, J. (1998). The influence of relative age on success and drop out in male soccer players. Am J Hum Biol, 10(6), 791–798.
• Helsen, W. F., vanWinckel, J., & Williams, A. M. (2005). The relative age effect in youth soccer across Europe. J Sports Sci, 23(6), 629-636.
• Işık, B., & Erdağı, K. (2022). The relative age effect in the European Weightlifting Championships 2015-2019 (male and female). Medicina dello Sport, 75(4), 546-59.
• Kollars, J. M., Taber, C. B., Beyer, K. S. (2021) Relative age effects in elite Olympic weightlifters. J Strength Cond Res, 35(5), 1223-28.
• Lames, M., Augste, C., Dreckmann, C., Görsdorf, K., & Schimanski, M. (2009). The relative age effect in German youth sports: Football, handball and ice-hockey. E-Journal “Bewegung und Training” 2009; Retrieved from www.sport.uni-augsburg. de/.../ 050lames/R...HS.../RAE_submitted.doc.
• Medic, N., Starkes, J. L., Weir, P. L., Young, B. W., & Grove, J. R. (2009) Relative age effect in master sports: replication and extension. Res Q Exerc Sport, 80(3), 669-675.
• Musch, J., & Grondin, S. (2001). Unequal Competition as an Impediment to Personal Development: A review of the relative age effect in sport. Dev Rev, 21(2), 147–167.
• Musch, J., & Hay, R. (1999). The relative age effect in soccer: Cross-cultural evidence for a systematic discrimination against children born late in the competition year. Sociol Sport J, 16(1), 54-64.
• Nakata, H., & Sakamoto, K. (2012). Sex differences in relative age effects among Japanese athletes. Percept Mot Skills, 115(1), 179–186.
• Ruscello, B., Morganti, G., Apollaro, G., Saponara, A., Esposito, M., Marcelli, … Pantanella, L. (2023). Relative age effect in Italian soccer. A cultural issue in talent management? J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 63(1), 136-143.
• Romaneiro, C., Folgado, H., Batalha, N., & Duarte, R. (2009). Relative age effect of Olympic athletes in Beijing, 2008. Motricidade, 5(3), 101.
• Sierra-Diaz, J. M., Villora, G. S., & Vicedo, P. J. C., Olivares, S. J. (2017). Soccer and relative age effect: A walk among elite players and young players. Sports (Basel), 5(1), 5.
• Simmons, C., & Paull, G. C. (2001). Season-of-birth bias in association football. J Sports Sci, 19(9), 677-686.
• Till, K., Cobley, S., Wattie, N., O’Hara, J., Cooke, C., & Chapman, C. (2010). The prevalence, influential factors and mechanisms of relative age effects in UK Rugby League. Scand J Med Sci Sports, 20, 320-329.
• Tufekci, O., Erdagi, K., & Isik, B. (2021). The relative age effects on senior weightlifting athletes in Turkey. Prog Nutr, 23(4).
• Turkish Weightlifting Federation. (2021, April). https://halter.gov.tr/sonuclar/
• Ulbricht, A., Fernandez-Fernandez, J., Mendez-Villanueva, A., & Ferrauti, A. (2015). The relative age effect and physical fitness characteristics in German male tennis players. J Sports Sci Med, 14(3), 634-642.
• Vaeyens, R., Philippaerts, R. M., & Malina, R.M. (2005). The relative age effect in soccer: A match-related perspective. J Sports Sci, 23(7), 747-756.
• Van Rossum, J. H. A. (2006). Relative age effect revisited: Findings from the dance domain. Percept Mot Skills, 102(2), 302–308.
• Vicent, J., & Glamser, F.D. (2006). Gender differences in the relative age effect among US Olympic development program youth soccer players. J Sports Sci, 24(4), 405-413.
• Wattie, N., Cobley, S., & Baker, J. (2008). Towards a unified understanding of relative age effects. J Sports Sci, 26(3), 1403-1409.
• Wattie, N., Schorer, J., & Baker, J. (2014). The relative age effect in sport a developmental systems model. Sports Med, 45(1),83-94.