Fig. 13From: Darwinian Selection Discriminates Young Athletes: the Relative Age Effect in Relation to Sporting PerformanceGeneral distribution of athletes in individual sports in Sweden. Assuming equal talent distribution throughout the year, youth athletes are more likely to continue sports if they are born early. Consequently, some adult elite athletes reach elite level only because they were born early, when not truly talented. At the same time, late-born children, with the potential to become elite athlete, are missed stars due to early dismissalBack to article page