This week Al Jazeera covers points for little one athletes, Eritrea’s deserting footballers and scolded Pakistani cricketers.

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This week British Gymnastics launched new rules limiting coaches from weighing athletes to sort out a problem “on the fringe of abuse”.

Gymnasts aged 10 or underneath can’t be weighed underneath the brand new rules, whereas these between 10 to 18 can solely be weighed with the consent of a mother or father or guardian. Those above the age of 18 can solely be weighed with their consent.

British Gymnastics mentioned the coverage had been launched to forestall practices round weighing that had been inflicting misery and resulting in points similar to consuming issues, nervousness and melancholy.

It follows the 2022 Whyte Review, which discovered “systemic” bodily and emotional abuse in gymnastics.

Elite sports activities have additionally steadily been hit by reviews of sexual abuse, doping, bullying and different misconduct in recent times – with younger athletes probably the most weak to abuse.

Meanwhile, youngsters such because the nine-year-old skateboarder, Mazel Paris Alegado, proceed to interrupt information in main worldwide occasions, which is reigniting debate across the dangers, pressures and pitfalls that younger rivals face in elite sport.

In 2022, on the age of 17, South African sprinter Viwe Jingqi grew to become the world’s quickest under-18 feminine when she ran 100 metres in 11.24 seconds.

“Representing your country at such a young age is so amazing,” Jingqi advised Al Jazeera.

But she mentioned bullying and scrutiny over her look have left her feeling emotionally unstable, and that the pressures of competitors may be brutal.

“Mentally, if you’re a kid and you lose it’s going to affect you a lot, so you need to be tough in every way.”

One mother or father spoke of the necessity to verify his son had different pursuits outdoors sport to forestall burnout and help his wellbeing.

“If you are overly focused on one thing, which they are most of the time, it could have negative consequences,” he mentioned.

Rob Koehler, the director basic of Global Athlete, says athletes of Alegado’s age ought to by no means compete with adults, regardless of how expert they’re, and that various competitions such because the Youth Olympic Games are safer areas.

“These are formative years for a growing child and to place them in [an adult] environment during these development years is likely to cause harm.”

Read the total article right here: ‘You need to be tough’: Child athletes make history, but at what cost?

Elsewhere this week:

• A collection of desertions by Eritrean players to flee necessary army conscription has hit the nation’s recreation.
• Pakistan cricketers advised to ‘prioritise country’ after poor World Cup.
• Uganda make historical past by qualifying for first T20 World Cup on the expense of Zimbabwe and finishing the 20-team lineup.