Anthropometric Measurements of Olympic Football Players

The Olympic Games bring together some of the best junior footballers from around the world. Looking at the changes in anthropometric measurements of the Olympic footballers at different Olympiads can demonstrate how the size and shape of the players have changed over time. The data below has been taken from the official report of the 1960 Olympics, which listed player averages for all sports, and in 2012 and 2016 a full list of athlete data was released.

Footballers come in many sizes. Here is the Spanish national football team at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

Male Players at the Olympic Games

Here is some information from the analysis of the anthropometric data (height, weight and age) from the football participants at several Olympic Games. Compared to 1960, male footballers were quite a bit taller and heavier in 2012 and 2016, though they were still several cm shorter than the average of all Olympians, and lighter too. The average age of the players in 2012 and 2016 is expected to be low, as it is an U/23 tournament.

Female Players at the Olympic Games

Here is some information from the analysis of the anthropometric data (height, weight and age) from the female football participants at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.