Age Fraud in Sports: Implications for Sustainable Talent Development and Athlete Well-Being in Rivers State

Age fraud in sports remains a significant issue, particularly in developing regions like Rivers State, Nigeria. This study investigated age fraud in sports: implications for sustainable talent development and athlete well-being in Rivers State. The study was guided by five research questions, and two hypotheses were tested. The research adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 612 athletes, coaches, and sports administrators. The sample size for the study was 306 respondents. A multi-stage sampling approach was employed, selecting sports academies, clubs, and schools through purposive sampling. Athletes and coaches were chosen via simple random sampling, while sports administrators were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using frequency count, mean, standard deviation and t-test. The findings of the study revealed that 74.5% of respondents had encountered age fraud in sports, with football (68.3%) and athletics (54.2%) most affected. Financial incentives and socioeconomic pressures were cited by 81.6% as primary drivers, while 69.7% attributed the issue to weak regulatory frameworks and poor documentation. Regarding its impact, 83.2% agreed that age fraud hinders genuine young athletes' career progression, leading to unfair competition (76.1%) and short-lived careers (64.9%). Additionally, 71.4% reported that athletes involved in age falsification experience stress, anxiety, and identity crises, while 67.8% linked it to increased injury risks and burnout. A t-test analysis showed no significant difference in age fraud prevalence between male and female athletes (t = 1.24, p > 0.05). However, a strong relationship was found between an athlete’s competition level and the psychophysiological effects of age fraud (r = 0.62, p < 0.05). To address the problem, 89.3% of respondents supported biometric registration and digital birth records, while 78.5% advocated stricter penalties and enhanced regulatory frameworks. The study concludes that combating age fraud requires a collaborative effort involving sports organizations, policymakers, and educational institutions. It recommends biometric verification, awareness campaigns, and stricter enforcement of age-related policies to promote fair competition and sustainable athlete development.