Age categories will be adjusted every consecutive year.

All competing students must be currently enrolled at an SGIS registered school to be eligible to participate in any official SGIS Sporting Competitions. The enrolment entails being involved in at least 50% of the academic curriculum of the school

Participants in SGIS events must respect the age groups when competing. However, younger participants may compete in an older age category, at the discretion of the Organiser and the Coach/Athletic Director.

For athletes choosing to play up an age category:

1. In contact sports, such as football, hockey and basketball, players are only allowed to play up one category.  Schools submitting a team roster, which includes players playing up one category, take responsibility for the participation of the players listed.  It is at the discretion of the school sending the team as to which students have the physical and skill attributes to play up one category. 

2. In individual sports, such as skiing, tennis, badminton, cross-country, swimming and track & field, athletes are only allowed to enter in one official SGIS Championship or SGIS Invitational tournament. They are not allowed to enter in more than one age category during the year. However, in tennis and badminton tournaments, players may enter in separate age categories for singles and doubles tournaments.

Schools are not allowed to enter the same team/players in more than one official SGIS tournament. Exception: in order to allow smaller schools to field teams in different age categories, 50% of the players of a team may play in two different age categories for schools below 60 students per SGIS Team Sports Category. The Executive committee will indicate which schools would qualify at the September AGM. Schools must submit team rosters that will show all their players for each category and each sport. Tournament Directors must double-check that schools abide by these rules.

Further clarification: “For SGIS official events: A younger team may play up to an older age category but must continue to play in the same age category for all SGIS events of that sport. The spirit of the rule is that a team should not play in multiple age categories but should choose one age category in which to compete. It would be the discretion of the team's AD and coach to consider the age composition of the players to determine if the team has changed enough to merit playing in the chosen category. A team of younger age category players should not play up to compete in an older category simply because they are competitive and might place if the same team has already competed in its age-appropriate category.”

Category B teams should not be allowed in a Category A team tournament, with the exception of inviting a “B” team in order to enhance the tournament format. Priority should go to the host school’s “B” team. The extra team can only be invited after the registration deadline has passed. Respectively this should also apply to categories C, D, E and F.

Older participants are not permitted to compete in any younger age categories, with the exception to allow over-aged primary age students to play with peers in their own grade level.

It is the responsibility of participating schools to check the age eligibility of their students. During tournaments, coaches must be able to produce proof of age at the organiser’s request.

If a team knowingly fields over age players at any tournament and by doing so breaches either the rules of the tournament or the rules described in the SGIS Sports Handbook, the school involved may face a sanction on their continued participation in SGIS Tournaments. The principal of the school should be informed. Any sanction to be decided by the SGIS Sports Committee.  This may involve a school being blocked from entering the same tournament in the following year. Repeat offenders will face more serious sanctions with their case referred by the SGIS Sports Committee to the full SGIS Executive Committee

Overage players can act as managers but are not allowed to play. Managers may receive a team medal.

Female competitors will not be allowed on male teams if there is a female tournament competition event offered. If there is not a female tournament available at that age cat, then this decision could be waived after consulting with the SGIS Sports Chair.  No boys on girls teams at all, with the exception of category F.

At category F level only, if schools don’t have enough boys or girls to enter into a boys or girls competition, they may enter a mixed team with a maximum of 2 players of the opposite sex. This exception must be requested to the host school’s AD at the invitation stage, and must be agreed on by all participating schools.