Why does tiny Australia kick ass at the Olympics, while giant India flounders?

[Akrasia]

It's probably also worth noting that college athletics is pretty much an American thing, and that in quite a few sports, top-division NCAA athletics tend to be the development programs. Most of the US teams in track, swimming, volleyball, rowing, soccer, basketball, and softball (and a good chunk of the rest of the world's, too) got athletic scholarships (and since most of the top schools are state schools, they're indirectly government-funded).

Drothgery, you are simply making too many good points tonight.

 

[Krieg]

It would, but that's not happening. The rest of the world's professionals are beating our professionals. They mostly play in Europe, not in the NBA, but that doesn't mean they're amatuers by any stretch. The Puerto Rican guard that lit up team USA is the starting point guard for the Utah Jazz. Serbia's sucking without Peja and Vlade. Spain's been riding Pau Gasol. China would be a joke without Yao.

International rules are also a major factor. Most of the non-American NBA players have experience playing under those rules, the American players have none. The shorter 3 point line and the wider lane are important issues that were not taken into account by the US selection commitee.

I've been using the CIA world factbook at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ . As I said up-thread, it's very important to note the difference between purchasing power parity numbers and strict currency conversions; the latter are pretty much meaningless because of exchange rate fluctuations and because some things are just much cheaper in poor countries.

It is also likely that the various sources are using information that was collected at different times. A mere 5 years can make a huge difference.

We Canadians bemoan the fact that we did not follow the Australian example. (But hey, we kick arse in the Olympics THAT MATTER )

That being the "special" ones?

It's probably also worth noting that college athletics is pretty much an American thing, and that in quite a few sports, top-division NCAA athletics tend to be the development programs. Most of the US teams in track, swimming, volleyball, rowing, soccer, basketball, and softball (and a good chunk of the rest of the world's, too) got athletic scholarships (and since most of the top schools are state schools, they're indirectly government-funded).

Look at where most of those foreign athletes attended College sometime. Most of them went to school (and completed in intercollegiate athletics) in the US.

 

[Akrasia]

... Medals would've been awarded to the most "shrinkage-resistant" (you guys know what I'm talking about). ...

Strange. The Canadians would still clean up!

... Don't tell me you wouldn't prefer to be watchin' the women's beach volleyball finals.

Okay that was just plain mean. Go away, you mean Aussie!

... I bet northern European countries kick ass on both the per capita GDP and equal wealth distribution fronts.

Only Norway kicks major arese. And that's because ... [okay, treading into politics here] ...

 

[Akrasia]

...
Look at where most of those foreign athletes attended College sometime. Most of them went to school (and completed in intercollegiate athletics) in the US.

I am not sure about this. You might be right, but I'm very sceptical until I see some hard stats.

The place where I teach (Stanford) has lots of Olympic-level atheletes. And SOME of them are non-American. But I very much doubt that the MAJORITY of foreign athletes who achieve Olympic medals benefited from athletic scholarships at U.S. schools.

And on firmer ground I can confidently say that this is NOT true of the Winter Olympics.

 

[Akrasia]

International rules are also a major factor. Most of the non-American NBA players have experience playing under those rules, the American players have none. The shorter 3 point line and the wider lane are important issues that were not taken into account by the US selection commitee.
....

Well the same complaint is made by NHL players about Olympic hockey rules (larger rink, different rules, etc.).

But that didn't stop Canada from getting the Gold, and the U.S. getting the Silver, last time!

 

[Krieg]

I am not sure about this. You might be right, but I'm very sceptical until I see some hard stats.

"Most" is probably an exageration, but look at the top level competitors in quite a few of the events. Track & Field, Swimming/Diving, Volleyball, Womens Softball & Basketball are probably the sports in which it is most prevelant.

Using the 2004 NCAA Track & Field championships as an example:

http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/tk_pages/2003_04/ncaa/052704_10.html

Well the same complaint is made by NHL players about Olympic hockey rules (larger rink, different rules, etc.).

But that didn't stop Canada from getting the Gold, and the U.S. getting the Silver, last time!

And in 1998?

 

[drothgery]

Check out this site for figures on Medal tally versus
[...]

It's interesting to note that on Gold Medals vs Population basis the USA is 27th, behind countries such as Zimbabwe, Cuba and Georgia.

So maybe the USA isn't really doing that well

That's only through nine days. Australia's not going to win many more medals, and the US is going to win quite a few more; swimming's done, but track's just getting started.

Oh, and as for cricket - the world cup has less than twenty countries enter teams. I don't think that's really Olympic levels.

I think baseball's probably a the relevant comprable here. There's not a baseball world cup (though MLB and the Japanese pro leagues are trying to set one up), but if we assume every country that's produced an MLB player in the last ten years would compete, you'd still only have about twenty teams.

 

[Turanil]

Just a thought: why does Australia, a tiny country of 18 million (or so) kick ass every summer games, while India, with over one BILLION people, scrape by with 1 or 2 medals?

Australia is of western culture, not India. I think that India at large don't care for the Olympic games, which just are a westerners' stupidity. When you are an Indian you know better: life is short, lets practive yoga quickly and be able to reach the divine before death, and leave those puny nonsensical olympic concerns for materialistic people who have lost their brains.

Don't take my insults against the loympics too seriously However, know that I really don't care for the games, and think that Indian culture has much more interesting things to propose than a handful of olympic champions.

 

[Ferret]

How many austrailians have time to do sports? How much free room do they have to build things? How many have good jobs that let them spend money on memberships to get them into athletics clubs or expensive bikes(Damn you Austrailians)? Quite a few looking a the medals table.

I'd guess (although probably poorly) that as a lot of canada is cold, if not snowy. Cold isn't the best conditions for sprinters etc. .

 

[Duncan Haldane]

That's only through nine days. Australia's not going to win many more medals, and the US is going to win quite a few more; swimming's done, but track's just getting started.

After ELEVEN days Australia is 2nd to the Bahamas, who have only 1 medal, a gold.

THE USA has slipped to 29th place.

Go to www.abs.gov.au and follow the link from there.

Duncan