A New Code to End Age Fraud in Indian Sports

For decades, the menace of age fraud has cast a shadow over Indian sports, distorting fair competition and depriving young and budding athletes of opportunities.

- Aatman Shah

The government has now taken decisive steps to address this problem. Age fraud—where athletes manipulate birth records or falsify documents to compete in younger age categories—may be a global issue, but its impact in India has been particularly severe, affecting talent development across sports. Despite past efforts, enforcement gaps and outdated verification methods allowed the problem to persist, eroding trust in the system.

To tackle this, the ministry of youth affairs and sports introduced the Draft National Code Against Age Fraud in Sports (NCAAFS) 2025, which makes some key additions and changes to the existing 2010 framework. The revised Code introduces changes in five key areas: