Divisioning Process for Individual Sports
Step 1: Divide Athletes by Gender
Divide athletes into two groups based upon gender. Female athletes will compete against other female athletes, male athletes against other male athletes. When a relay team consists of both male and female athletes, the team is considered a "male" team and competes in a male division.
Step 2: Divide Athletes by Age
The next step is to divide the group by athlete's ages which will be determined by the athlete's age on the opening date of the competition.
| |
| Age Groups |
| 8-11 |
| 12-15 |
| 16-21 |
| 22-29 |
| 30+ | |
Step 3: Divide Athletes by Ability
To complete the divisioning process, divide the group according to their performance marks. In some instances age groups need to be broadened. In those cases, athletes within the new age groups will be re-ranked and grouped into divisions. This process must be repeated until the highest and lowest scores within each division are as similar as possible.