Anthropometric and Physical Fitness Comparisons Between Australian and Qatari Male Sport School Athletes

The increasing focus on international sporting success has led to many countries introducing sport schools and academies. Limited empirical evidence exists that directly compares student-athletes from different continents. This study investigated whether male Australian and Qatari student-athletes differ in anthropometry, physical fitness and biological maturity.
150 male student-athletes (72 Qatari, 78 Australian; age = 11.8 - 18.6 y) completed a fitness testing session involving anthropometric (standing height, sitting height, leg length, body mass, peak height velocity (PHV) measures) and physical capacity (40 m sprint, countermovement jump (CMJ), predicted maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) tests. Differences were assessed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), effect size (Cohen’s d) and regression coefficients.
The Australian student-athletes possessed a greater standing height and body mass (P Despite lower stature and body mass values, Qatari student-athletes exhibited physical fitness ascendancy over their Australian counterparts.