Maturity Status, Relative Age and Constituent Year Effects in Young Iberian Kayakers

Like in other sports systems, in kayaking, young athletes are commonly grouped by their birth years. This study analyzed maturity status, relative age, and constituent age effects in young Under 14 (U14) and 16 (U16) Iberian male kayakers. One hundred and thirty (U14: n =80; U16: n = 50) young kayakers aged 14.10 ± 1.06 years were assessed for anthropometry, performance, maturity, and sport experience. The year was divided into four birth quarters (BQ). There were no significant differences in the kayaker’s distribution by BQ in both categories (U14, p = 0.348; U16, p = 0.709) or total sample (p = 0.783). Six of the ten best kayakers in the U14 category were born in the year’s first half, and eight were among the U16 kayakers. Talent detection and selection systems based solely on the young kayakers’ performances may imply some bias. One of the ways to get around this situation would be to adopt a grouping system similar to bio-banding, allowing the maximum number of practitioners to experience the possibility of obtaining competitive success.