India grapples with ‘endemic’ menace of age fraud in sports, experts want stiffer sanctions

Country’s chaotic birth registration system has allowed older children to compete against younger ones, potentially earning great rewards

No fewer than 500 wrestlers were disqualified from India’s under-17 championships for age fraud in June, highlighting a scourge experts believe ⁠is baked into the country’s sporting culture and ⁠needs to be combated in the same way as doping.

The exclusions at ⁠the Gonda meet were the latest in a string of age-fraud cases and came less than a year after some 20 teams were expelled from India’s top schools football tournament, the Subroto Cup, for fielding over-aged players.

“It is endemic,” leading sports lawyer Aahna Mehrotra, who has wrote a paper on the subject, said.

“Age fraud runs across most disciplines that have age-group competition, and it is at its worst at the sub-junior and junior levels, where the rewards are highest and the ‌scrutiny is lowest.”

India’s chaotic system of birth registration and the absence of a single digital database for athletes have long left the door open for unscrupulous parents and coaches to exploit.

For those who have a couple of years shaved off their actual age, the potential rewards can be great. The unfair advantage of extra years of growth can lead to scholarships, sponsorships and fame.