Examining the Relative Age Effect of Elite Paralympic Athletes

Abstract

Although there are many studies on the Paralympic Games and athletes, which are an international organization, there are not enough studies in the literature on the "relative age effect" in Paralympic athletes. The research is the first study to examine the successful Paralympic athletes in terms of "relative age effect", especially in this respect. The aim of this research is to examine the effects of the relative age effect of the successful paralympic athletes. The model of the research was determined as "Basic Qualitative Research" and the data collection technique in the research was determined as "Document Analysis". The analysis of the data in the research was made according to the Miles and Huberman model. The universe of the research consisted of athletes who participated in the Paralympic Games between 1960 and 2022. The sample of the study consisted of 30 elite athletes, including the athletes who won the most gold medals in the Paralympic Games. The sampling method of the research is density sampling based on heuristic approach. As a result, it was understood that for the successful Paralympic athletes, the number of athletes born in the first six months of the election year is higher than those born in the last six months. Thus, it has been concluded that the elite Paralympic athletes with medals in the Paralympic Games are affected by the relative age effect.