KOZHIKODE: Education Minister N Samsudheen has ordered an urgent inquiry into allegations of age manipulation involving an athlete competing in the sub-junior category of the Kerala State School Sports Meet.

The minister’s intervention follows a complaint that a participant representing Kottayam district in the under-14 100m and 400m races may have submitted documents showing different dates of birth.

Samsudheen has asked the director of general education to investigate the matter and submit a report at the earliest. He has also instructed officials concerned to scrutinise the ages of athletes participating in the meet and take appropriate action if any irregularities are established.

The issue was brought to the attention of the authorities by Shibi Mathew, a physical education teacher at Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam, in Ernakulam district. She alleged that the athlete in question possessed two Aadhaar cards carrying different age details and subsequently submitted a petition to the minister, seeking an inquiry.

According to Shibi, a student aged 14 was participating in the under-14 category, raising questions about the athlete’s eligibility for the event.

The complaint has prompted the department to initiate an inquiry to verify the athlete’s date of birth and establish whether any rules were violated.

The allegations have not yet been independently established and the inquiry is expected to determine whether the documents were manipulated and whether disciplinary action is warranted.Samsudheen warned that strict action would be taken if age fraud or the use of performance-enhancing drugs was detected at the sports meet.

He said officials would examine complaints and ensure that disciplinary standards were maintained throughout the event.“If necessary, a bone-age test will be conducted,” the minister said.