{
  "id": 5275352,
  "title": "India grapples with age-fraud menace in sports",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/india-grapples-with-age-fraud-menace-in-sports",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T07:38:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/other-sports/india-grapples-with-endemic-age-fraud-menace-in-sports/articleshow/133729260.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Age fraud is a growing problem in Indian sports, with 500 wrestlers being disqualified from the under-17 championships in June alone. This issue is deeply ingrained in the country's sports culture and requires a comprehensive approach to combat it. The scandal has been recurring, with 20 teams excluded from India's top school football tournament, the Subroto Cup, due to overage players. Sports expert Aahna Mehrotra, who has researched the subject, told Reuters that age fraud is prevalent across most disciplines with age-group competitions, particularly at the sub-junior and junior levels.\n\nThe problem stems from India's chaotic birth registration system and lack of a centralized digital database for athletes, making it easy for deceitful parents and coaches to exploit. For those who can shave a couple of years off their actual age, the benefits can be significant, including scholarships, sponsorships, fame, and a head start in lucrative professional contracts. Age fraud could also provide aspiring cricketers with an unfair advantage in the Indian Premier League.\n\nWhile some sports federations have taken steps, such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India's mandatory bone density tests, which has been adopted by other sports like football and tennis, these measures are not seen as a complete solution. Sports medicine expert PSM Chandran stated that the current system is inadequate to prevent age fraud and called for stricter consequences similar to those for doping. The proposed code by India's Sports Ministry aims to make age fraud harder to commit and more costly, by integrating document checks with TW3, MRI, dental and physical examinations, and implementing criminal penalties while offering an amnesty for athletes to correct records.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "500 wrestlers disqualified from under-17 championships in June",
    "Age fraud prevalent in most Indian sports disciplines",
    "Proposed code aims to make age fraud harder to commit"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}