Under-23 sport is a competitive age category grouping within

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

for athletes under the age of twenty-three. An extension of age categories found in

youth sports Youth sports is any sports event where competitors are younger than adult age, whether children or adolescents. Youth sports includes school sports at primary and secondary level, as well as sports played outside the education system, whether ...

, the under-23 category is for adults who are still in a developmental stage within their chosen discipline. The intention of the grouping is to allow such adults to improve their skills against opponents of a similar standard, as opposed to elite level of competition found in open senior level competitions, where they may not receive competitive opportunities or may find their development hindered by significant ability differences. The under-23 category roughly corresponds with the age of athletes found competing in

college athletics College sports or college athletics encompasses amateur sports played by non- professional, collegiate and university-level student athletes in competitive sports and games. College sports have led to many college rivalries. College sports ...

, although in the latter grouping there is a required academic element for

student-athlete Student athlete (or student–athlete) is a term used principally in universities in the United States and Canada to describe students enrolled at postsecondary educational institutions, principally colleges and universities, but also at sec ...

s and typically no upper age limit (in the case of

adult learner An adult learner—or, more commonly, a mature student or mature-age student—is a person who is older and is involved in forms of learning. Adult learners fall in a specific criterion of being experienced, and do not always have a high school di ...

s). The age group somewhat aligns with social definitions used outside of sport, such as the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

' definition of youth as "persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years".What do we mean by “youth”?
United Nation. Retrieved on 2017-01-02.

International competitions

Under-23 athletics Under 23 is a category of athletics in which athletes are between 20 and 22 years old on 31 December of the year of the competition. Championships *European Athletics U23 Championships, organized by the EAA every 2 years * NACAC U23 Champion ...

NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics The NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics is an under-23 Athletics (sport), athletics competition held between the member associations of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC). Rules and regulations were app ...

South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics The South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics (Campeonatos Sudamericanos de Atletismo de Sub-23) is an under-23 athletics competition held between the member associations of the South American Athletics Confederation (ConSudAtle). Rules a ...

European Athletics U23 Championships The European Athletics U23 Championships is a biennial Sport of athletics, athletics competition for European athletes Under 23 (athletics), under the age of 23, which is organized by the European Athletic Association. The oldest of the 'age-grou ...

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championship ...

(race) *Cycling **

UCI Road World Championships – Men's under-23 road race The UCI Road World Championships - Men's under-23 road race is the annual world championship for road bicycle racing in the discipline of time trial, organised by the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale. The event was first run ...

UCI Road World Championships – Men's under-23 time trial The UCI Road World Championships - Men's under-23 time trial is the annual world championship for road bicycle racing in the discipline of individual time trial for men aged 23 or under, organised by the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Int ...

UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior) The European Track Cycling Championships (under-23 & junior) are a set of competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists under the ages of 23 and 18, and regulated by ...

** African Continental Cycling Championships (section) **

Oceanian Cycling Championships The Oceania Road Championships are a series of road cycling races held annually to determine the Oceanian champion in each event. The event has been held since 1995 and consists of an elite and under-23 men's and an elite women's road race and t ...

(section) **

Liège–Bastogne–Liège U23 The U23 Liège–Bastogne–Liège or Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs is a cycling race in Belgium, held eight days before the cycling classic, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège , also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The ...

Peace Race U23 Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such a ...

Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 was a bicycle road race held annually in the German state of Thuringia. It was a stage race reserved to athletes under the age of 23. Since 2005, it was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour. After the 201 ...

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir () is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Felice Gimondi, Joo ...

(since 2007) *Football **

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

AFC U-23 Championship The AFC U-23 Asian Cup, previously the AFC U-22 Championship (in 2013) and AFC U-23 Championship (between 2016 and 2020), is a biennial international football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 n ...

AFF U-23 Youth Championship The ASEAN U-23 Championship (formerly AFF U-23 Championship) is an international Association football, football competition contested by the national under-23 teams of the member nations of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The inaugural edit ...

Africa U-23 Cup of Nations The U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, or simply U-23 AFCON or U-23 CAN, is the quadrennial African football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football ( ...

GCC U-23 Championship The GCC U-23 Championship is an annual international football competition organised by the Gulf Cooperation Council. The first edition of the tournament was held in 2008 and was played in a round-robin group of five nations. Records ' A round- ...

*Volleyball **

FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship The FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship was the world championship of volleyball for female players under the age of 23 organized by Fédération Internationale de Volleyball ( FIVB). The first edition was staged in 2013 in Mexicali a ...

FIVB Volleyball Men's U23 World Championship The FIVB Volleyball Men's U23 World Championship was the world championship of volleyball for male players under the age of 23 organized by ''Fédération Internationale de Volleyball'' ( FIVB). The first edition was staged in 2013 in Uberlândia ...

Men's Asian U23 Volleyball Championship The Asian Men's U23 Volleyball Championship is an international volleyball competition in Asia and Oceania contested by the under 23 men's national teams of the members of Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the sport's continent governing body ...

Women's Asian U23 Volleyball Championship The Asian Women's U23 Volleyball Championship is an international volleyball competition in Asia and Oceania contested by the under 23 Women's national teams of the members of Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the sport's continent governing ...

Men's U23 African Volleyball Championship The Men's U23 African Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national teams with players under 23 years, held biannually and organized by the African Volleyball Confederation. History The first championship is currently being held i ...

Women's U23 African Volleyball Championship The Women's U23 African Volleyball Championship is a national teams continental sport competition for players under 23 years, held biannually and organized by the African Volleyball Confederation since 2014. Summary Teams reaching the top four ...

Men's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup The Men's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup is a bi-annual Continental Cup organized by NORCECA for under-23 teams from South, North and Central America, and the Caribbean. Results The 2021 tournament is not considered as an official edition. Me ...

Women's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup The Women's U23 Pan-American Volleyball Cup is a bi-annual Continental Cup organized by NORCECA for U23 teams from all over America ( North-, South- and Central America, and the Caribbean) Results Medal table Teams by year Most valuable p ...

Men's U23 South American Volleyball Championship The Men's U23 South American Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national volleyball teams with players under 23 years, currently held biannually and organized by the Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol (CSV), the South America ...

Women's U22 South American Volleyball Championship The Women's U22 South American Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national women's volleyball teams with players under 23 years, currently held biannually and organized by the Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol (CSV), the So ...

*Other sports **

Bandy World Championship Y-23 The Bandy World Championship Y-21 is a Youth Bandy World Championship up to the age of 21 years. Usually, only the core bandy playing nations take part. The designation is sometimes given as U-21 instead of Y-23 or U-23, probably as a way to com ...

European U23 Judo Championships The European U23 Judo Championships are annual judo competitions organized by the European Judo Union for European judoka aged 23 and younger. 2023 European U23 Judo Championships, The last contest took place in Potsdam, Germany. 2024 European U ...

European U23 Wrestling Championships European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

** IWAS Under 23 World Games **

U-23 Baseball World Cup The U-23 Baseball World Cup is a biennial, professional-level, National Team, baseball world championship of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), replacing Baseball World Cup. The inaugural tournament was held in November 2014, in ...

World Rowing U23 Championships World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is ...

References

{{reflist

International competitions

See also

References