Variations of the Relative Age Effect Within and Across Groups in Elite Alpine Skiing

Abstract

The term relative age effect (RAE) refers to age differences between athletes within the same cohort, and is frequently found within a plethora of sports. Less clear than the actual occurrence of the effect has been the strength of the effect across, and within, different sports, and also variations across sex, age, and skill level. In this study, we analyzed birth dates among the fifty top ranked alpine skiers in the World Cup system over the last twenty years. The analysis included both male (n = 238) and female skiers (n = 235) grouped into either a speed group (downhill and Super-G) or a technical group (slalom and giant slalom) based on World Cup points. The results show an RAE among the male skiers in the speed disciplines. No significant RAEs were found in men specializing in technical disciplines, and none at all in women. This finding demonstrates that the RAE can vary across subdisciplines within alpine skiing at the elite level.