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Opinion

Which country is the world's best at sport?

(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Roar Rookie
7th April, 2020
11

Every time the Olympics come around, or perhaps at any moment for our sport-mad brains, we wonder which country is the best at sport.

Which nation produces the best, the fittest, the most athletic people? You might say Olympic gold medals or world championships answer this, but really they’re too narrow.

Those athletes are the 0.1 per cent freaks of the population, fine-tuned to excel in one discipline and left to be utterly average at best in everything else. Usain Bolt and the Mariners – case rested.

Instead, which country produces those people who are just naturally sporty in general? Those annoying teammates who try out a new sport and are instantly good at it? The AB de Villierses, Ellyse Perrys and Brendon McCullums of the world but on a wider societal level?

How do we determine this once and for all?

Let me introduce you to the all-sport world cup.

The champion of this crazy idea I’ve come up with can safely proclaim themselves to be the greatest sporting nation – if it were ever real. Which is unlikely.

But don’t worry about that. I’ve ignored large parts of reality for this – annoying things like logistics, funding and even motivation for countries to actually be involved. Join me in the silly hypothetical!

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If we were in anything less than a rampaging global pandemic, I’d be embarrassed at how much thought I’ve put into this, but here we are. No time like the present.

Mo Farah Rio 2016 Olympic Games

(Mike Egerton/PA Wire)

The basics

To determine all-round sportiness you logically need to compete in a variety of sports, and not just the ones your country is traditionally good at. So here’s my idea.
First, each nation selects a squad of about 20 to 25 athletes (details below) and nominates three sports they think they’re best at (again, details below).

The tournament structure is pretty normal, comprising a group stage progressing to a final (details below). There are four groups of eight nations each.

The interesting bit is that for each group fixture, nations compete against each other by playing two different sports randomly chosen from a pool of all the other nominated sports in their group.

Keep reading to make sense of this. I promise it’d work.

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Panama Football fans

(Yegor Aleyev/TASS via Getty Images)

Group stage

Each nation nominates what they think are their three best sports. So with eight nations per group, there could be up to 24 nominated sports per group. It could potentially be fewer if the same sport is nominated by multiple nations.

This nomination occurs before the tournament’s start and is done without knowing the nominations of other nations. See the ‘sports selection’ section below for which sports can be chosen.

As you could imagine, working out which sports to nominate would be a fun little tactical exercise in itself. I reckon the squad members are the ones who make the official nominations, but it could be fun if there’s a big public input through social media to help choose.

As I said, each fixture involves two separate matches of two different sports. But, crucially, they don’t play each other in any of their own nominated sports. Instead, two other sports are randomly picked from their group’s pool of nominated sports.

An example will help. You tune in to the first fixture of the All-Sport World Cup, Australia versus Brazil in Group A, and find out the first match is table tennis – because it’s been nominated by China, who’s also in their group – and the second one is baseball, as nominated by Cuba.

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That’s one fixture. Therefore, because each nation has seven fixtures in the group stage, they have 14 matches and play 14 different sports, none of which are their nation’s speciality. This will really test their all-round athletic ability.

I’ll also add that nations can’t replay the same sports within the group stage, provided enough unique sports have been nominated. If there aren’t enough unique nominated sports, we can perhaps add some randomly chosen ones.

Tyson Gay 2012 London Olympics 4x100m sprint relay final

(Citizen59/CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Points system
But how to score these matches in a way that covers all possible sports? I’ve gone with the basic soccer points scoring system, with a twist:

  • 0 points for a loss
  • 1 point for a draw
  • 3 points for a win
  • 4 points for a bonus-points win

I think bonus points are vital because they reward true excellence as well as encourage winning teams to keep competing, but calculating them is obviously tricky. It’s clear there are so many different ways of scoring, so it wouldn’t even work to say a bonus point is awarded for being 50 per cent better than the opponent. What’s 50 per cent in a tennis match?

You really have to calculate it on a sport-by-sport basis using an intuitive awareness to stick to a predetermined standard. I’m putting that standard at roughly equivalent to a three-goal margin in football, 15-point margin in rugby league, 100 metres in a 400-metre race or 50 runs in a T20 match.

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From there you’d consult with experts in each sport, who also have an awareness of the other sports, to find something equivalent. I know it’s not exact, but it’s really the only way I can account for all the different sports.

Australia's Chloe Esposito

(AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

Capstone races
So all this gives us a standard points table for each group after seven rounds. It’s not the end of the group stage, though. Each group finishes with three ‘capstone races’ in which all eight nations in a group compete against each other.

  • Rowing: 2000 metres, coxless four-person format
  • Swimming: 4 x 100m medley relay
  • Athletics: ‘Swedish relay’: 800 metres, 400 metres, 400 metres, 200 metres

The points system for these are: 3.5 points for first place, 3.0 points for second place, 2.5 points for third place and so until we get all the way down to 0.0 points for last place. There’s also a 0.5 bonus point for winning by a certain margin, as calculated by the same means as above – I’m thinking approximately 25 metres for swimming and 100 metres for running, but I have no idea about rowing!

I’ve included these races because I think it’s a more exciting way for the crowds to end the group pointscoring race and makes sure they’re tested in some of the most fundamental sports around the world and throughout history.

And that ends the group stage! Each group will have a points ladder from which the top two nations progress to the next stage. But before we get there, I’ll just cover which sports can be nominated and how the squads are composed.

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Russia's rhythmic gymnastics team celebrate their gold medal at the London Olympics. (Image: Wikimedia Commons/cdephotos CC BY 2.0)

(Wikimedia Commons/cdephotos CC BY 2.0)

Sports nomination

As might be clear by now, I want depth of sportiness to be tested. A truly sporty nation doesn’t rely on singular freakish individuals. Team sports are obviously perfect for this, but a little tweaking is needed for the individual sports. It’s not too hard, though:

  • doubles, for sports like tennis, badminton and table tennis;
  • relays, for individual sports like running and swimming; and
  • cumulative scoring, for all those individual sports which use points, which means having four people compete and adding their performances.

I think that covers most sports. For athletics and swimming I’ve done a bit more detail, partly because I’m a bit more familiar with them and because they have more variety within them which should be represented. So for athletics I’ve got:

  • short: 4 x 100 metres;
  • middle: 4 x 1500 metres;
  • long: Ekiden road relay (42 kilometres covered by five to seven runners); and
  • field: high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin.

And for swimming:

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  • short: 4 x 50 metres
  • middle: 4 x 200 metres
  • long: open water relay, perhaps 4 x 2000 metres.

So instead of being forced to nominate just ‘athletics’ or just ‘swimming’, Jamaica could nominate ‘short distance athletics’, while Kenya might nominate both ‘middle’ and ‘long’. Some other sports which have varying formats include:

  • T20 cricket, which is obviously easier to organise for a tournament, but it’s also surprisingly widespread around the world and still tests basic cricket skills;
  • rugby union, for which 15s and 7s are separate sports, whereas rugby league has just 13s; and
  • cycling, and though I’m not an expert here, I’m thinking one road event and one track event, both in team formats.

Apart from clarifying which formats are used, I also have some criteria for choosing sports. I’ll happily admit I’m getting into opinion for some of these, but hey, why not? At the moment this is just a fun daydream. When the IOC comes calling I might have an argument on my hands.

Cricket World Cup photo shoot

(Julian Finney-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)

Anyway, the criteria are as follows:

Must have considerable international participation
Each nation needs to have some chance of having played the sport seriously or at least knowing about it. So, sadly, there can be nothing like AFL, Gaelic football or sumo wrestling. Something like gridiron (American football) probably makes it, as I feel it’s played around the world enough, but I’d be okay if someone wants to fight for their sport on this one.

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Must be human-powered
This is a bit of a personal bugbear of mine about what constitutes a sport. The point is to challenge what the human body is capable of on its own. So no motors, engines, guns or cute horseys. Although I’m willing to break my rule for polo, because that just looks awesome.

Standard equipment
If equipment has a significant impact on performance, it must be standardised. So everyone gets the same bicycle, same bow for archery, same suits for swimming et cetera.

No subjective scoring
There are too many good sports ruined by being based on faulty and quite possibly biased human perception. We all know it. So if sports like boxing and other combat sports, surfing or diving want to get in, they have to find a more rigorous and objective way of measuring performance. And don’t even mention rhythmic gymnastics.

Must be actually athletic
Sport must involve some sort of physical exertion or skill. Darts and snooker/billiards/pool is in because of the physical skill, but something like chess is out. Compelling, competitive and highly specialised it may be, but it’s not a sport. Sorry.

Anyway, that covers which sports can be nominated. Next are the actual people participating.

Darts star Michael van Gerwen.

(AP Photo/PA, Clive Gee)

Squad members

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As I said above, each nation is represented by a squad of about 20 to 25 people. It should be large enough for some specialisation within the squad and to allow for recovery between matches but also small enough that everyone’s all-round abilities are tested.

For that purpose I’ve made a rule that during the group stages every squad member must compete a minimum number of times. I think three is about right.

Also, in the capstone races – rowing, swimming and running – each nation must use totally different competitors for each race. So 12 different people will be used for that stage.

I’ve decided not to make any rules about who can be a squad member in terms of them being professional athletes or not. For one, I’m not sure professional athletes would necessarily be an advantage given the need to have all-round athletic ability and, secondly, they probably wouldn’t choose to join in such a ridiculous event. So anyone can join!

Wallabies squad generic

(Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Path to the final

Onwards with the journey! The group stage is over, the points table is settled and the top two from each group are going through. This is where it gets interesting.

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I’ve got two options for what happens next, and I’m not totally decided which one to go with. Option 1 is a Super 8s format, while Option 2 is a knockout format. The Super 8s option was my original idea and I still quite like it, but the knockout also has its attractions. I’ll be curious to hear what everyone thinks.

Option 1: Super 8s
For this the top two from the four groups come together to create a super group of eight. This basic idea is the same, with each nation having a fixture against each other, but with a crucial difference.

This time there are three sports per fixture. The first two sports are one of each nation’s nominated sports, while the third sport is random. But, most importantly, the other nation gets to choose which of the other nation’s nominated sports they’ll play.

An example will make it clear. Let’s pretend the first fixture of the Super 8s is Australia versus Kenya. Australia’s nominated sports are cricket, rugby league and triathlon, while Kenya’s are middle distance athletics, long distance athletics and sevens rugby.

If Match 1 is Kenya’s nominated sport, Australia will definitely choose sevens rugby, while for Match 2 Kenya would probably choose rugby league. Match 3 will then be a sport randomly picked from the nominated sports of all the other teams, or perhaps all the teams in the entire tournament. I’m not decided on that one yet.

Incidentally, to decide whose sport is Match 1, I think scissors-paper-rock is better than tossing a coin as it flavours the luck with some tasty mind games. Best of three of course.

The idea of this is to let a nation show how good they are in their speciality while still testing some depth. Again, points are awarded, but by a slightly changed system. This time a loser’s bonus point is introduced to reward nations that can at least get close in the other nation’s dominant sport. So the points for each match will look like this:

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  • 0 points for a normal loss
  • 1 point for a bonus point loss
  • 2 points for a draw
  • 3 points for a win

However, this new system applies only to Matches 1 and 2, when a nation is playing their nominated and thus dominant sport. For the random sport in Match 3 it’s back to the original points system.

So from there the Super 8s group plays out like a normal group, with everyone having a fixture against each other. This stage is also completed with those three capstone races – rowing, swimming and running – except that each nation must use completely different athletes from the group stage. That means an entirely separate 12 athletes – which means the squad must have minimum of 24 members, make it 25 for roundness.

From there it’s straightforward. All the fixtures produce a top two, who then go on to battle it out in the final.

That’s Option 1 done! See what you think of Option 2 instead.

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Option 2: knockouts
This is also pretty straightforward: a classic knockout format. The Group A leader plays second place in Group B, the Group B leader plays second place in Group A and so on. It starts with a Round of 16, then quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the big one.

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Each fixture – except the final – is exactly the same as in Option 1, with three matches per fixture: two games from each other’s nominated sports and one random one. Obviously with this knockout format you can’t have the three capstone races, so they’re gone.

So which option to go with? I think I’m leaning towards my original Super 8s. The knockouts do have the unique thrill of instant elimination, but the three-match format for each fixture will dilute a bit of that excitement. I think more tension will come from the build-up of points over the course of the Super 8s group as each nation’s strengths and weaknesses are gradually revealed. But Option 2 is always there for those wanting more instant thrills.

I also prefer Super 8s for enabling us to have those three capstone races again, but this time with an entirely different 12 members. I think that would make for some really interesting tactical decisions about who to use. Do you pick your best 12 in the group stages to guarantee progression but sacrificing talent at the end, or do you trust your bottom half and wait til the Super 8s to let your best strut their stuff?

Melissa Wu diving Olympic Games

(AAP Image/Sam Mooy)

The final

And finally we get to the final – the ultimate showdown deciding once and for all who can rightly be crowned the greatest sporting nation in the world. It follows the same basic structure as the fixtures from the Super 8s – Matches 1 and 2 from their nominated sports, then a random sport for Match 3 – but with a key difference: new nominated sports. I’ll explain.

If we indeed go with the Super 8s option, these two finalists will have already played one of each other’s nominated sports, most likely their third-best sport – assuming their opponent chooses correctly. We don’t want them playing those sports again, so logically only their best two nominated sports remain. This is a final of a global event and should be exciting and tense. I’m sure that tension would be lost for Matches 1 and 2 if a nation gets to dominate another in one of their top-two sports.

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So, my idea is that each finalist nominates three totally new sports. Logically these will be their fourth, fifth and sixth-best sports if they’re accurate in their nominations. From there it’s the same process: each finalist chooses one from the other’s three newly nominated sports and then a random sport to end it all.

Incidentally, I think this new nomination process could be an exciting event in itself. Once the Super 8s stage is over and the two finalists are decided, there could be a huge social media campaign with polls asking the public which sports to nominate. Again, the final decision rests with the squad members, but it could be a great way to get people revved up for the final.

I think reaching down to a nation’s fourth, fifth and sixth-best sports really challenges the depth of a nation’s sportiness and levels the playing field for the final, making it much closer and more exciting.

I’m assuming the finalists won’t be as dominant in these new nominated sports but may still have a slight advantage, so I’m combining the two previous pointscoring systems:

  • 0 points for a normal loss
  • 0.5 points for a bonus point loss
  • 1 point for a draw
  • 3 points for a win
  • 3.5 points for a bonus-point win

That should give a fair balance. If at the end of these three matches there’s a tie, then … I don’t know! I’ll gladly welcome suggestions. My tentative idea is a team decathlon with one person completing each discipline, but I’ve no doubt there could be better ideas.

And so finally we have a champion! That’s my incredibly longwinded idea about how to determine which nation is the best at sport in a fun, fair and sort of feasible way.

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Final thoughts

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, there are just a few more loose ends to tie up.

Women and men
You may have noticed I haven’t mentioned how this whole idea works with both men and women. I did have some early thoughts that the whole tournament could be a mixed one, with women and men in the same squad and all competing together. It works quite easily with sports like tennis and even athletics or swimming, where you can do mixed-gender relays, but I think it breaks down with most team sports. Trying to play rugby, hockey or football with mixed teams just wouldn’t work.

Moreover, a nation’s dominant sport can easily differ from men to women. The USA certainly wouldn’t choose football for their men but definitely would for their women.

For that reason I think it’s simplest to just have two separate tournaments: a women’s and a men’s one. Of course that gets us into torturous and probably unrealistic logistics of trying to organise two unwieldy global tournaments, but who cares! This is all just a hypothetical, so there’s no need to worry about all that.

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Qualification
But which countries can qualify for this tournament and how? There are only 32 spots, and without a doubt there’d be plenty of nations clambering to get into this prestigious tournament. I don’t have a conclusive answer. I’d be curious to hear what others think.

We could use Olympics gold medals, even though I dismissed at the start of the article, or even this website, which is trying to measure the same thing as me but with a rolling league system instead of a tournament. I gladly welcome ideas!

Anyway, that’s all for my harebrained idea. It was fun coming up with everything, and hopefully it filled some time for everyone stuck indoors. Comment what you think, changes you’d make, which nations would do the best, which sports each nation would nominate or just any random thoughts!

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