Specific aspects of considering the age of male swimmers age in a process of long-term training and sports excellence planning

In the modern world swimming, the first serious success on a sports arena is no longer considered to be a pinnacle of a swimmer’s sports career and should not be counted as a finish of life-long training. On the contrary, it is the initial step that can be followed by a long cycle of successful performances, accompanied by managing to hold the existing results and further improvement. The article analyzes the age of male swimmers of the Ukrainian national swimming team between 2021 and 2024. It also considers their compliance with favorable zones for gaining the first success and achieving maximum application of individual abilities. It has been stated that over the past four years, the main line-up of the Ukrainian national swimming team has mostly consisted of 17-22- year-old swimmers. After the age of 21 and above, while the athletes’ results are expected to increase due to the maturation of physical and functional indicators. However, an opposite significant decline in the achievements of the national team has been marked and it has been stated that only 20% of sportsmen manage to remain among the strongest athletes in a team. Taking all the facts into consideration, athletes are being concerned to be exposed to highly intensive accelerated physical training, which results in a rapid increase in sports achievements among teenagers and adolescents. The article emphasizes the importance of youth competitions organization that provide achievement of educational and cultural goals. Whereas, the results gained at them should be regarded only as an intermediate stage of long-term sports development. Conclusions have been drawn in the article about the need to avoid harmful effects of the exploitation of talented young athletes of Ukraine that leads to intensifying of their regular training. This fact is associated with the violation of laws and principles that are meant to be the base of a rational long-term training.