Sachin or Shah Rukh? An increasing number of parents are getting their children to undergo a DNA test to determine what they might do best as adults.
Such tests in the United States and Europe have progressed to be able to determine the child’s potential IQ, memory power and temperament, parents here and e
lsewhere in India have started using “sports genetics” to ascertain what sport their children will do best in when they grow up. Doctors use information extracted from the so-called “sports gene” to predict what kind of game the child do best in as an adult.
“Analysis of the ACTN3 gene can be used to predict the kind of muscle fibre the child will develop as he/she grows up. Based on this we can figure out the body’s capacity to adapt to different sports,” says a leading orthopaedic surgeon in Chennai.
While some see this as an attempt by performance-obsessed parents to put added pressure on children already under pressure, at least 100 parents across India have got their children tested.
The DNA test requires a painless swab of the child’s inner cheek and costs `2,000.
The ideal age to take the test is from four to 10 years, as children will have to start training by then.
“We took my daughter for the test this week. She is eight years old, and more interested in sports than academics. She is already quite good at table tennis and badminton,” says John Premkumar, whose child is studying in Class 3.