ABSTRACT
This study examines the Relationship of Somatotype and Athletic Performance among Paid Athletes in Edo State Sport Commission. The aim of this study analyzes how somatotype affects the athletic performance of paid athletes, determine if certain body types are more likely to excel in particular sports and to examine the viewpoints of paid athletes in Edo State Sport Commission on the relationship between their somatotype and performance in sports. Three research questions were posed and the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A 20- item questionnaire served as an instrument for the study and was validated by the supervisor of the researcher as well as two experts in the Department of Human Kinetics and Sport Science, Faculty of Education, University of Benin. The population of the study was made up of Seven Hundred and Thirty-seven coaches and paid athletes with a sample size of One hundred (100) respondents (61 male and 39 female) involved in either football, athletics, volleyball, basketball, badminton, swimming, handball, hockey, cricket and combat sport as well as an experience in sports between 1-5 years, 6-9 years, 10 years and above, within Edo State Sport Commission. A test re-test method of reliability was used to test the reliability co-efficient for somatotype was found to be r =0.08 and that of athletic performance was found to be r =0.08 which means that the results of the test-retest method of reliability was consistent in conveying the same meaning to the respondents. Thus, there is no significant relationship between somatotype and athletic performance. This was done after two weeks interval. The research questions were analyzed with mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage and pearson’s product moment of correlation. It was concluded that the understanding of somatotype and how it affect athletic performance is crucial for athlete development, where somatotype is seen as a valuable factor in identifying and developing talent in sports. Also, recommendations were proffered such as; conducting comprehensive research, implementing talent identification programs, enhancing training programs, educating coach and athletes, foster collaboration with research institutions, monitoring and evaluating progress.
