Athletic event characteristics based on height and limb lengths of Olympian, and establishment of age specific morphological evaluation standard for junior athletes.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine sport specific characteristics of summer and winter Olympians in terms of height and limb lengths, and to establish an age specific morphological evaluation standard for junior athletes in relation to growth change of general Japanese population. Subjects of this study were all Japanese athletes and candidate athletes who participated in Beijing, London, Torino and Vancouver Olympic Games, and their height and limb lengths were measured. As a result, specific characteristics for each s port were found in arm and leg lengths, which reflected morphological characteristics requires for each sport. Evaluation standard for height and limb lengths of junior athletes were established based on the average growth change tendency of general population. The result of this study can be applied to sport aptitude diagnosis.