Comments on: Why Olympic Skaters Fall http://www.elharo.com/blog/math/2006/02/25/why-olympic-skaters-fall/ Ranting and Raving Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:58:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Elliotte Rusty Harold http://www.elharo.com/blog/math/2006/02/25/why-olympic-skaters-fall/#comment-499 Elliotte Rusty Harold Sun, 26 Feb 2006 10:37:42 +0000 http://blog.elharo.com/blog/?p=151#comment-499 I don't know that any one country does consistently dominate others in ice hockey from year to year, but in some years one team can be quite a lot better than the others. The difference between the winner and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 15th place, etc. is usually quite a lot more significant than it is in figure skating. It is true that team sports tend to favor larger countries much more so than individual sports like figure skating. A single world class skater from Belgium (for example) can easily compete on an equal footing with skaters from the U.S. or Russia. However a world class hockey player needs to find five other world class players in the same country to compete effectively. Obviously this is an advantage for larger countries. Of course team sports usually require more government or private financing (less so since professionals started playing in the Olympics). I don’t know that any one country does consistently dominate others in ice hockey from year to year, but in some years one team can be quite a lot better than the others. The difference between the winner and 3rd, 4th, 5th, 15th place, etc. is usually quite a lot more significant than it is in figure skating.

It is true that team sports tend to favor larger countries much more so than individual sports like figure skating. A single world class skater from Belgium (for example) can easily compete on an equal footing with skaters from the U.S. or Russia. However a world class hockey player needs to find five other world class players in the same country to compete effectively. Obviously this is an advantage for larger countries.

Of course team sports usually require more government or private financing (less so since professionals started playing in the Olympics).

]]> By: Tim http://www.elharo.com/blog/math/2006/02/25/why-olympic-skaters-fall/#comment-498 Tim Sun, 26 Feb 2006 07:45:40 +0000 http://blog.elharo.com/blog/?p=151#comment-498 Which country is it that completely dominates everyone else in ice hockey? Which country is it that completely dominates everyone else in ice hockey?

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