Thiruvananthapuram: The State Department of Public Education has uncovered an age-fraud case at the school sports meet, raising concerns over the integrity of the competitions. Jyothi Upadhyaya from Uttar Pradesh, who had won silver medals in the senior girls’ 100m and 200m events, has been found to have misrepresented her age.

The controversy came to light after complaints from the athletes who finished fourth in the races. Investigations revealed that Jyothi, a student of St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Pullurampara, Kozhikode, participated in competitions with a 19-year age limit despite being 21 years old. She had submitted a false Aadhaar document during school admission, recording her birth year as 2007, whereas the Athletics Federation of India lists her birth year as 2004. The education department has sought an explanation from the school before deciding on further action.

In the senior girls’ 200m event, Aditya Aji from Malappuram clinched the gold with a timing of 24.75 seconds, narrowly beating Jyothi, who finished second in 24.76 seconds. Jyothi had also secured silver in the 100m race, finishing in 12.26 seconds.

The case has sparked debate over the need for stricter verification processes in school-level sports competitions, with officials promising a thorough investigation.