Games of the XXIX Olympiad

[V_Translanka]

So then if some country only focuses on one event and wins gold it gets a percentage of 100...?

[Thought]

Placid, why use percentages, and why use them in that manner? It curiously punishes countries that excell while rewards countries that lag. If one country has 500 atheletes of comparable quality and skill to another countries 20, why should the gold medals that the former wins be presented as having less worth than the gold medals of the latter?

An alternate method of percentages would be to have medals won out of total possible. That is, if there are 200 events at the olympics and a country wins 50 gold medals, then they have a 25% gold medal rate. Perfectly equitable.

[placidchap]

Or instead of the total events at the Olympics, total events the country has competed in.  Meaning total medals won over total number of medals they competed for.  This way, the country is not penalized for an event they did not partake in.

That's probably the best way to put it, at least that I can think of at the moment.

or maybe a weight function of sorts.

something like

Total Athletes for country / total medals available in all events = weight for the country. (a)
Medals Won / Total Medals = % of total medals won (b)

(a) x (b) = weighted win percentage. 

Adds to the comparability between countries of different size and representation.

That formula could be flawed as I am not a statistician, mathematician, etc

[Katie Skyye]

Ahaha! The USA just PWNED France in swimming, after France mad an arrogant comment that 'they joined to crush the Americans.'

[placidchap]

Ahaha! The USA just PWNED France in swimming, after France mad an arrogant comment that 'they joined to crush the Americans.'

Since when is trash talk something new?

[Kebrel]

Doesn't mean its any less funny when it happens.

[Thought]

Since when is trash talk something new?

Probably circa 700 BCE.

"O men of Olympus, listen to us, the Atheneans. We have joined these sacred games in the sight of the mighty gods, whom men honor, to crush the Spartans!"

Indeed, let us compare the visual evidence:




I dunno about you, but I certainly see the similarities. Phelps just needs a beard and a cape.

[V_Translanka]

...and a sword, an arrow in his chest, and a dead army behind him.

[Radical_Dreamer]

Hell, he's in good enough shape. If he had a beard, he probably could have been part of the team that hid in the Trojan horse.

[Katie Skyye]

Ahaha! The USA just PWNED France in swimming, after France mad an arrogant comment that 'they joined to crush the Americans.'

Since when is trash talk something new?

Doesn't mean its any less funny when it happens.

My point exactly.

[Kebrel]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=179222&title=special-olympics-update

[Kebrel]

Lo Lo Jones reminded me of this:

[V_Translanka]

Along w/that not complying w/the img tags, Kebrel...

You are not authorised to download this attachment.

[Kebrel]

I see it fine, well heres another location

[MsBlack]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7576446.stm