A competitive index for international sport

Abstract

This article constructs an index of competitiveness for different international sports. This is done by finding the national characteristics that are associated with sporting success and then noting the countries that participate in the different sports. This enables the various sports to be rated in terms of their competitiveness, thereby allowing judgements to be made regarding how difficult it is to be successful in these sports. Although a sports competitive index will no doubt be of interest to many armchair sporting experts, an answer to this question is also of importance when it comes to government policy with regard to funds directed to sport.