Wrist Scans Reveal Overage Football Players

Listening 

MRI tests were used to  the true age of African football players at the Under-17 Championship in Morocco this week. After the testing, nine players from Congo, Ivory Coast, and were banned from the competition due to being overage. All three  are now playing with 18 players  21. Many African players do not have legitimate birth certificates. The wrist scans look at the fusion of the wrist bones to determine a player’s age. FIFA’s first official use of MRI technology was at the U-19 World Cup in Nigeria. According to FIFA’s medical centre, the random tests accurately determine the age of the players without posing any  to the athletes.

Comprehension Questions

1. How old are the players at this football championship supposed to be?
2. Which countries failed the recent age tests?
3. How do the tests determine the age of the players?

Discussion Question: Why is it an unfair advantage to have overage players on a competitive sports team? In what situation might it be an unfair advantage to have under-age players?

Listening Vocabulary

• MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• scan: an image that comes from a scanner
• overage: beyond the allowed age
• ban: to disallow further participation or use
• legitimate: valid
• pose: to present

source: http://edition.englishclub.com