In 2012 when I was finishing my Masters in Coaching at the University of Victoria I wrote a paper titled 'Relative Age Effects in International Junior Squash Competitions.' The course was Current Issues In Coaching Studies and this was the only topic that was really garnering any media in the squash world around that time. Now I see that Pakistan is again in question about some of their athletes age at the recent World Juniors. I don't know the background of the current situation so I will not remark on this, but I felt it was worth sharing my paper from 2012 about a similar situation. If you're interested in this subject please feel free to have a read and let me know what you think.
I do know that there are always going to be some athletes that will do whatever it takes to succeed. We see doping in professional sports even still! When big money and fame is on the line there will always be some willing to take the risk. And we all know what happened to the Russian track team recently. If someone is lying about their age it is cheating and an unfair advantage (I explain how and why in my paper). If someone is willing to do this will they also not be more likely to dope? Is lying about your age worse than doping or just as bad? Regardless if the reports this time around are true or not something has to be done to rectify this issue. It's not fair to the actual juniors if someone lied about their age and if nobody has than it simply tarnishes Pakisan's title and their national squash federation.
We all want to see a fair competition and we all want to be proud of the accomplishments of the top juniors in the world, regardless of their nationality. Anyways, here's my paper. Enjoy!
Relative
Age Effects in International Junior Squash Competitions
EPHE
579, July 20, 2012
By
Chris Hanebury
The 2012 World
Junior Squash Championships were held in Doha, Qatar from June 7-18,
2012. One-hundred and nineteen boys from twenty-three countries
competed for the individual title before competing in the team event
(4). This year, the junior girls only had an individual event as the
boys and girls team event are hosted on an alternating annual basis.
To compete in this tournament a participant had to be under the age
of 19 as of July 18, 2012. The Egyptian boys were seeded first in the
team event, and rightfully so after two Egyptians made the finals of
the individual title (4). Egypt's top junior players have proved
themselves on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world tour
(5), making the all difficult transition from the junior squash
circuit to the pros. The Pakistani team was seeded and in the
individual draw they had 3 players reach the round of 16. Two of
which made it through to the quarterfinals and 1 of them made the
final four before losing to the eventual champion (4). Although
Pakistan finished according to their second place seeding in the team
event, they were the country grabbing all of the media attention
prior to the event (5,6). The age of the Pakistani athletes were in
question after they chose to use a 'traditional' and controversial
age verification method which revealed a number of their junior
athletes were overage (5,6).
The controversy of
overage athletes competing in the 2012 World Junior Squash
Championships can be related to some well known instances in other
sports (8,13). Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Miguel
Tejada lied about his age when he signed his first minor league
baseball contract (8). In 2008 a private investigator discovered that
Tejada was actually 2 years older then he had claimed when being
drafted (8). The article makes reference to the challenges that has
faced MLB in determining immigrating players' age (8). Oddly enough,
Tejada stated that his green card and driver's license both list his
proper date of birth (8). If this is indeed the case, then it's
baffling to consider how Tejada was able to get away with this lie,
especially considering the amount of money involved in MLB. Tejada's
incident isn't the only overage example in baseball to capture
international media attention. In the 2000 Little League World
Series, Danny Almonte steamrolled all of his 12 year old opponents as
a starting pitcher (13). Danny won all 4 of his starts, giving up no
earned runs, striking out 62 of the 72 batters he faced, and for good
measure tossed a perfect game (13).
According to sources there was a
private investigation paid for by the parents of another team to
investigate Almonte's actual age (13). At the time of the incidence,
Lance Van Auken was the Little League director of media relations.
Van Auken said that, "there is no way we can go and check the birth date of every player. All we can do is continue to depend on our volunteers and the parents who are signing up their kids"(13). No wonder they were unable to verify everyones age as the Little League had 1 to approximately 25,000 staff to athlete ratio. If situations like this have happened in main stream sports, what actions can the World Squash Federation (WSF) implement to prevent this from happening again in international junior squash competitions? Furthermore, how can we be proactive and prevent this from happening again instead of relying on post-event investigations to clear the air?
The details of what
exactly transpired at the 2012 World Junior Squash Championships are
unclear. But what is known is that Pakistan sent a very strong team
(4). Whether any of the athletes on this team were overage is still
in question. Although we could assume that because they played in
this event that all of the participants were eligible (under 19).
The countries must follow the rules and guidelines provided by the
WSF. The WSF has a rule for the World Junior Championships that
states that the athletes must be under 19 years of age as of the last
day of the competition (15). Another WSF policy states that only if
an athletes eligibility is in doubt the countries national squash
federation has to provide supporting evidence (15). At the
recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the WSF
has recently implemented an independent ethics panel (15). According
to the WSF this newly adopted panel is used 'very rarely' (15).
The issue
surrounding the 2012 World Junior Squash Championships involves
questions regarding the age of the Pakistan boys team (5,6).
According to reports in the Pakistan media source 'The News,' the WSF
and the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) were working together to
determine the age of their athletes and confirm their eligibility
(5,6). The PSF issued age testing to 150 junior male squash players
and over 60% were found to be overage (6). This announcement provoked
controversy in the squash community, but it was the specifications of
the age testing that made the media headlines more surreal. The
testing the PSF used to determine the players age was an 'armpit
test' (6). For the western civilization this appears like an ancient
and unconvincing method to determine somebodies age. Even more so
considering that this method is ultimately determining if an athlete
is eligible to compete for their country on the biggest stage for
junior squash. This situation makes for a great debate and
raises some interesting questions. Did the WSF do the right thing by
asking the PSF to produce their own age verification for their
athletes? How confident is the WSF and the other countries that the
results produced from the armpit test are accurate? Did this
situation arise because of a WSF organizational and policy issue that
needs to be improved? What implications does relative age have on
competitive sport, and in particular squash? Is there an alternative
solution to this issue that can prevent it from reoccurring? Or was
this situation dealt with in an appropriate matter? These questions
will form the basis of this article, in particular the impact of the
relative age effect (RAE) of junior squash players. The goal is to
demonstrate what advantages older and more experienced athletes have
in competition and the importance of keeping them in their proper age
groups. Finally I will list some action plans for eliminating future
doubt over an athlete's age and eligibility, removing the cloud of
doubt over future international junior squash championships.
In a study by Baker and Logan, (2007) a hockey players RAE proved to have a significant
impact on the likelihood of being selected in the National Hockey
League (NHL) draft. Baker and Logan reported that 64% of the hockey
players drafted between the years studied (2000-2005) had a birthday
in the first 6 months of the calendar year. This shows an advantage
to kids that are only slightly older then their classmates. As
children and teenagers these kids would generally be more physically
mature and therefore more likely to be chosen for the higher skilled
teams. Being chosen for a higher skilled team would in turn provide
more opportunities, including expert coaching, training and
competition. In another study by Musch and Grondin (2001), they
found that when children play up in an age category (against older
kids) it has a negative consequence on their personal development.
They concluded that younger children are less successful competing
against older children and that the RAE has a major impact on the
athlete's perceived competence (7).
According to
research by Stones (2001) the RAE discrepancies are most evident in
sporting events requiring high power and endurance. Furthermore,
Stones reported that the major contributing factors to the RAE were
the athletes' knowledge, skill, experience and motivation to compete.
These components are hypothesized to alter in relative importance
over the course of an athletes' career (12). It was also suggested
that age was an important factor because older athletes are more
adept in applying their strategy and tactics. While a meta-analysis
by Cobley (2009) involving male athletes (15-18) at a representative
level (provincial or national), found RAE for all of the sports
studied. When Cobley's findings are combined with the previous
studies it seems logical that the RAE would be evident in a dynamic
open sporting environment which requires a high level of endurance,
such as squash.
Besides an
internationals title, there was much more up for grabs at the 2012
World Junior Squash Championships. The United States coach was Paul
Assaiante, the men's head coach for Trinity college (4). Trinity
along with a number of other American colleges and universities have
a lot of international squash players on their teams (3). This
international event represented an opportunity for junior squash
players to showcase their talent to various College Squash
Associations (CSA) teams and coaches. The Canadian team included a
freshman from Harvard and another player who has committed to Yale
for the fall of 2012 (10). For junior squash players outside of North
America, being recruited by a varsity squash team can be more
challenging. This is another reason why it is so vital to ensure an
even playing field for any world junior championship.
Besides the
potential of being recognized and recruited from a varsity coach, there is much more at
stake for junior squash players. It was shown through a variety of
studies that the RAE has a major impact on many areas of a young
athletes sporting career (1, 2,7,12). In junior squash this is no
exception. What does a junior player do when he/she turns 19? Some
might choose collegiate squash (if possible), but others will turn
professional and register for a Professional Squash Association (PSA)
or Women's Squash Association (WISPA) tour card (11, 14). The RAE is
clearly relevant in squash as there are very few juniors (under 19)
in the WISPA top 50 world rankings and even fewer in the PSA (11,
14). Making the jump to compete against professional adult players
that have compiled many years of training and competition is very
challenging. It appears that very few juniors can make this
transition effectively under the age of 19. In Pakistan, their 2012
national junior closed had prize money of approximately $2,150
Canadian (9). This is not a customary practice in Canada or the
United States as juniors are still considered amateur athletes.
The facts
surrounding the PSF and their players are vaguely reported and
difficult to determine. It has not been confirmed if any overage
players competed in the World Junior Squash Championships, but there
was plenty of debate and concern over this issue (5,6). The WSF could
go on as currently proceeding and rely on each country to verify the
age of all of their athletes. Although a simple approach that
requires no additional resources it will not provide confidence to
the other participants and coaches that there is an equal playing
ground. Therefore the RAE could still persist and advantages would
favour the older and overage athletes. A second alternative would be
to make an amendment to the WSF rules and regulations outlining the
specific measures that they will take to ensure proper age
requirements are met at all major international junior events. The
trouble with this option would be enforcing the rule. Who would
enforce any potential consequences and what would they be? The WSF
could need to make the participants provide age verifying
identification at the time of registration and at the onset of the
tournament. It would then just be a matter of which method is deemed
acceptable for verifying the age of the athletes. Clearly there is
some doubt among the media regarding the armpit method that was used
for the Pakistani team (5,6). So the WSF might have to explicitly
tell each of the national sporting organizations (NSO) which methods
can be used for verifying age. This would undoubtably improve the
standard of results for age identification. Implementing this option
would rely heavily on each NSO for upholding this rule. This doesn't
necessarily solve the issue though. What if a country does not have
the proper resources or is more concerned with competing and winning
then upholding this rule? Therefore, the rule in itself is not
sufficient. A final alternative would be the creation of an
additional, older junior category (e.g., under 21). This could help
bridge the gap for kids that are 19 and 20 and allow them some more
time to compete as a junior before deciding to enter college or turn
professional. This could also potentially decrease the RAE of the
athletes and might make athletes less likely to enter a younger
division. Although this is not a fail safe plan, because this
alternative does not ensure that 21 or 22 year olds will not attempt
to register for the under 21 division.
Evaluating each of
these options from a deontological perspective leads to some
interesting conclusions. Obviously doing nothing is not a proactive
and reasonable solution because this does not ensure that the RAE of
the junior squash players are reduced. Whereas an amendment to the
WSF rules for providing age verification would eliminate much of
doubt regarding the eligibility of the athletes. Although this would
take a lot of cooperation from the NSO's to uphold this rule. The WSF
would have to hold the NSO more accountable for accurate age
verification. If any NSO is found negligible they would be held
accountable. This solution would involve creating consequences for
any infraction, such as not allowing the other athletes from that
country to compete in the event. This would make it much more likely
that countries would uphold the WSF rules and regulations. The last
alternative of creating an additional older, junior category could
assist athletes in making an easier transition to the collegiate or
professional level. This could also improve the RAE of junior squash
players, but this policy on its own does not ensure the athlete will
register into their appropriate division. It appears that more would
need to be done to accurately verify the age of the participants.
The WSF cannot
expect all of the participating countries and athletes to believe,
adopt and abide to a standard set of ethics and morals. Therefore it
seems doubtful that making an appeal to do the 'morally correct'
thing would be a deterrent. The fact of the matter is that age and
experience plays a major factor in determining the success of junior
athletes (7, 12). Separating young squash players into the correct
category is crucial for eliminating the RAE in competition and
creating equality in competition. The most effective option for
ensuring that this happens in future international squash tournaments
is to have the WSF implement a rule requiring a standard method for
athlete age verification. All of the participants' age should have to
be confirmed at the time of registration and at the commencement of
each world championship. Because of the large number of competitors
involved, each countries NSO will be held accountable for confirming
birth records. The rule would also have to state explicitly which
methods are approved for measurement and which are not. The WSF could
further deter overage athlete participation by implementing severe
consequences for any infraction. They could penalize either the
individual athletes, or suspend the entire team. This rule will
increase the credibility of future World Junior Squash Championships
and decrease the RAE of the athletes involved. This will ensure that
the recognition and scholarship opportunities are provided to the
proper group of athletes. Appropriate junior categories are a
necessity for any international competition and with the
implementation of this additional rule, the WSF can take a major step
in the right direction.
References
-
Cobley,
S. (2009). Annual age-grouping and athlete development: A
meta-analytical review of relative age effects in sport.
Sports Medicine (Auckland), 39(3),
235.
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-
-
-
Musch,
J., & Grondin, S. (2001). Unequal competition as an impediment
to personal development: A review of the relative age effect in
sport. Developmental Review,
21(2),
147-167. doi:10.1006/drev.2000.0516.
-
-
Personal
conversations with Tyler Olson (Harvard student) and Zach Leman
(Yale).
-
Stones,
M. J. (2001). Sports performance, age differences in. In
Editors-in-Chief: Neil J. Smelser, & Paul B. Baltes (Eds.),
International
encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences
(pp. 14944-14947). Oxford: Pergamon.
doi:10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/01384-X.
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Women's
International Squash Players Association (2012). Retrieved July 14,
2012 online from: http://www.wispa.net/
World Squash
Federation. World Squash Championship Regulations (version 4.4).
April, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012 from:
http://www.worldsquash.org/
