Age verification compulsory for players before every tournament : High Court

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): The Punjab and Haryana High Court has instructed the Chandigarh administration to fully enforce the provisions of the National Sports Code to prevent age fraud in sports competitions. The court's decision mandates that age verification tests be conducted for all players before every tournament recognized or approved by the National Sports Federation.

Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj emphasized that before organizing any sports event, the age verification process will be a compulsory step for players. This ruling aims to ensure fairness and transparency in tournaments, particularly to avoid the manipulation of players' ages, which can lead to unfair advantages. The court's order came after a petition was filed by Panchkula resident RD Atri, who raised concerns about the accuracy of age determination methods. Atri specifically recommended the implementation of the Tanner White House (TW3) method, which involves X-ray analysis of the left wrist to determine bone maturity and, consequently, the player's age. However, the Chandigarh administration informed the court that TW3 technology is currently unavailable in the city.

Despite this, the administration assured the court that for upcoming tournaments, players with disputed ages would be tested using alternative methods. The court also clarified that these age verification rules would apply to all tournaments, whether national or invitational, and would be enforced starting with the Administrators Challenge Cup, which begins on November 20. The Chandigarh administration has been instructed to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to implement these guidelines and avoid age fraud in future sports competitions.