IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE

Background. Selection processes in youth sports often appear to be stressful and unfair to many athletes. One of the reasons also lies in the Relative Age Effect (RAE). This study delves into the phenomenon of RAE in sport, particularly focusing on its potential implications within the realm of kickboxing by exploring its possible occurrence within the Youth Croatian national kickboxing team.
Problem and aim. The research aims to shed light on any age-related biases that may exist and their impact on the success and performance of the Croatian national team at the last WAKO World Championships 2022.
Material and methods. The research involved 72 youth Croatian kickboxing national team members who were categorized by age and competitive success, with data collected from official sources and analyzed using the Chi-square test.
Results. The Croatian youth national kickboxing team does not exhibit RAE based on the obtained results. Despite some uneven quartile distribution, this difference diminishes when considering disciplines and success levels, and the team achieved notable success at the World Championships without the “assistance” of RAE.
Conclusion. This article is the first to examine the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in kickboxing. The study found a significant RAE presence in the Croatian national youth team, particularly in the first two quartiles, but further analysis showed no significance in the Semester division. The Croatian kickboxing organisation appears to be aware of RAE and employs fair selection processes, contributing to the team’s success, prompting the need for future investigations into RAE at the national and international levels.