Age analysis of judoka participating in the Olympic Games Tokyo-2020

Purpose: to analyse the results of selection and performance of judokas at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 depending on their age indicators. Material and methods. During the study of this direction of research the following methods were used: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodical literature, analysis of competition protocols of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, analysis of the world ranking of elite athletes according to the IJF. Linear regression analysis was used to represent the relative age as one of the indicators of measuring the success of elite judokas. Results: the total number of female judokas - 1444, in all weight categories, who participated in the selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and 192 athletes who performed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were studied based on data from the official website of the International Judo Federation. After analyzing the performances of 192 female athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it can be seen that the percentage of younger than average age judokas was 59 % (113 athletes), and older than average age judokas – 41 % (79 athletes). After a comparative analysis of the relatively younger average age of female athletes who passed the selection with those who passed it for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it can be seen that the percentage of younger judokas is only 9 %, while the percentage of older judokas relative to the average age of judokas is 43 %. This may be due to the fact that older relative to the average age female athletes can be much higher in the direction of cognitive development (decision-making, abstract thinking, creativity, acquisition of competitive experience and psychological factors) than younger relative to the average age female athletes, who mostly use this selection to gain competitive experience. Further analysis showed that younger female athletes who took part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games accounted for only 9 % of all judoka who passed the selection. While the number of older judokas relative to the average age is 41 % of all those who have been selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Having a gap in age from 20 to 42 years, high-class female athletes who took part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have a peak age of 28-31 years. Conclusions. Thus, older judokas should spend less time to win than younger athletes. Gaining with age the experience necessary to participate in high-ranking competitions, it is necessary to take into account that the functional capabilities of athletes decrease with age. Keywords: judo, judo women, age indicators, average age, older, younger, weight category.