Aina, M. G; Obiyemi, O. O.; Falaiye, E. K. & Abdulraheem, Y. O.,2023-01-092023-01-092020-06https://uilspace.unilorin.edu.ng/handle/20.500.12484/8300In determining players’ eligibility for participation in youth development sport championships in the Nigeria, the rules and regulations for participating in such competitions must be of highest priority.In determining players’ eligibility for participation in youth development sport championships in the Nigeria, the rules and regulations for participating in such competitions must be of highest priority. This study, therefore, investigated the perception of coaches and athletes on the screening exercise of the Milo-sponsored Secondary Schools Basketball Championship, North Central Conference of Nigeria. The research adopted a descriptive survey design. A sample of 100 respondents was selected using a multistage sampling technique from the 200 Coaches and Athletes who participated in the 2016 basketball central conference championship. The instrument used for data collection was a validated questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.78r. Three research hypotheses formulated were tested at 0.05 alpha level using inferential statistics of chi-square. The findings revealed that the modalities adopted by the officials for the screening exercise have no significant influence (p-value > 0.05) , while the attitude of coaches and lack of qualified personnel have a significant influence on the screening exercise (p-value < 0.05) of Milo Secondary Schools Basketball championship. Based on the findings, it was suggested that the biometric registration introduced at the last conference playoffs should be extended to the state level. Schools that qualify for the conference playoffs should be visited by the representatives of the organizers to assess the player’s school registration to verify their classes and status. The use of scientific methods such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance should be adopted to ascertain the actual age of players, among others.enAcreening exercise,Age-cheat, Central Conference, Milo-Basketball ChampionshipArticle