Anthropometric characteristics, age, competitive exposure and academic standing in relation to competitive placing of collegiate table tennis athletes: a retrospective association study

Competitive placing in collegiate table tennis may be associated with athletes’ physical, demographic, competitive-exposure, and academic characteristics; however, these factors have seldom been examined together among Philippine collegiate athletes. This retrospective cross-sectional study described selected athlete-profile characteristics and examined their unadjusted associations with competitive placing among University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) table tennis athletes. Sixty-seven athletes who competed during UAAP Seasons 69–86 completed a structured, federation-approved questionnaire covering self-reported stature and body mass, body mass index (BMI), age, sex, competitive-exposure history, and academic grade average. Competitive placing was defined as each athlete’s highest final UAAP placing across their collegiate career, obtained from official competition records and coded on an eight-level ordinal scale. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. For categorical athlete-profile variables, competitive placing was dichotomized as podium finish (first to third place) or non-podium finish (fourth to eighth place). Pearson’s chi-square test of independence was used to examine associations, while Fisher’s exact test was applied when chi-square assumptions were not met. The association between number of UAAP seasons played and ordered competitive placing was examined using the Kruskal–Wallis Htest. Prior participation in Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy, as well as the number of UAAP seasons played, showed statistically significant unadjusted associations with competitive placing. No statistically significant unadjusted associations were detected for age, sex, BMI category, academic grade average, or participation in informal wagered matches. Because the sample was non-probabilistic, anthropometric data were self-reported, the outcome was based on best career placing, and analyses consisted of separate univariable tests, the

Findings: do not establish independent effects, causal relationships, or prediction of future competitive placing.