The relative age effect in olympic swimmers.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative age effect (RAE) on swimmers in the Olympics 2012 by analyzing the differences between continents, genders and the achievement of medals. Nine hundred and seventy-eight athletes (507 men and 471 women) were stratified based on their birthdate. In quartile distribution, there was a higher percentage of athletes born on the 1st and 3rd quartiles. As regards gender distribution, the RAE was observed on females (χ² = 12.304, df = 3, p = .01) but not on males (χ² = 1.426, df = 3, p = .70). Regarding the analysis of RAE according to performance and continent, there was no significant relationship between the quarter of birth and winning medals; additionally, the Asian continent was the only one where the RAE was identified. We concluded that the RAE was present on swimmers from London 2012. Furthermore, it was representative in women, was not related to winning medals and was found only in the Asian continent.