UP athlete with two birth dates: Age limit row sparks heat before Kerala School Games
Mail This Article
Age fraud has once again cast a shadow over Kerala’s school sports arena. A student-athlete from Uttar Pradesh, slated to compete in three events at the upcoming Kerala State School Games in Kozhikode next week, was found holding documents with two conflicting birth dates.
According to records with the Uttar Pradesh Athletics Association and an Aadhaar card, the athlete is 14 years old (13 years and 10 months). Meanwhile, another Aadhaar card submitted for admission to an aided school in Kerala shows the athlete’s age as 12 (11 years and 10 months), two years younger. Competing in the sub-junior category, the student recently swept three gold medals at a district-level school meet. The fielding of overage athletes had already sparked protests during the district competitions.
The Aadhaar card submitted for school admission records the date of birth as December 10, 2014. The other Aadhaar card that has now surfaced lists it as December 10, 2012.
Only those born on or after January 1, 2013, are eligible for the sub-junior division. The date of birth provided to the school was doctored in a way that would allow the student to run in the sub-junior category through next year as well.
The Aadhaar number, the residential address in UP’s Ghazipur district, and the father’s name are identical on both cards; only the birth year and the photograph differ. An inspection of the athlete's registration details on the UP Athletics Association website confirmed the date of birth as December 10, 2012, matching the original Aadhaar record.
What you should read next
The student secured admission to Class 8 at an aided school in Kerala earlier this academic year. School authorities, however, maintain that admission was granted only after verifying all requisite paperwork, including copies of the birth certificate and Aadhaar card.
During the previous State School Games held in Thiruvananthapuram, the General Education Department had similarly cracked down on another athlete from Uttar Pradesh over age manipulation.
