The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has announced strict new rules to stop age fraud in under-21 sports competitions. On Monday, it officially declared age cheating a serious violation of its sports ethics code. The PSB says fake age documents harm fair play, endanger athlete safety, and hurt the integrity of sports in Pakistan.
According to the PSB, youth competitions worldwide rely on correct age information to ensure equal chances for all. However, there are strong suspicions that some athletes are entering age-limited events with forged documents. To fight this, the PSB now requires all junior athletes to submit a CNIC or B-Form, dental checks, radiology reports, and committee details for verification.
In addition, medical reports must be approved by top officials of each sports federation and submitted to the PSB. If any documents are found fake or suspicious, the athlete will be banned from training camps, financial support, and prize money. More disciplinary actions could follow if fraud is confirmed.
The PSB highlighted that age fraud not only blocks honest athletes from competing but also raises the chance of injury due to physical mismatches. It also stated that global bodies like the International Olympic Committee have urged all nations to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward age falsification.
This move comes just weeks after the PSB warned several sports officials for violating term limits under the National Sports Policy. Meanwhile, Karachi is preparing to host the 35th National Games in December, after they were delayed earlier this year due to “unavoidable circumstances.”