Age paradox: youth athletes in adult tournaments

The global intensity of modern sports has pushed youth athletes into competitions originally designed for fully mature adults. Recent Olympic Games have included athletes as young as 11, with 337 athletes aged 16 and under competing in summer or winter Olympic Games between London 2012 and Beijing 2022.1 This trend highlights the increasing presence and visibility of youth athletes on the global stage. Yet elite tournaments still feature dense schedules, minimal recovery and relentless performance demands built for adult physiology, often fuelled by financial incentives. This incongruity between the pace of adolescent development and the demands of adult-level competition presents a significant paradox. In this editorial, we discuss the challenges faced by youth athletes in adult tournaments and ask whether current frameworks sufficiently safeguard these young competitors’ well-being and long-term development.