going for gold - geographical association · going for gold the beijing games overview in this...

© Copyright Australian Geography Teachers’ Association Limited and The Geographical Association (UK)

Going for golda unit of work for 14 to 16-year-olds

by Dr. Grant KleemanMacquarie University, Sydney

CONTENTSOverview of the unit and rationaleIntroductionPreparation and introductory activitiesActivity 1: Factors affecting sporting success in Olympic competitionActivity Resource Sheet D1: Factors affecting sporting success in Olympic competitionActivity Resource Sheet D2: The Summer Olympics—a truly global event• Table 1: Top five gold medal-winning nations 1988 to 2004• Figure 2A: Number of countries participating in the Summer Olympic Games 1968 to 2004• Figure 2B: Number of athletes participating in the Summer Olympic Games 1968 to 2004• Figure 2C: Number of sporting events contested in the Summer Olympic Games 1968 to 2004• Figure 3: Changing Summer Olympic Games gold medal distribution 1988 to 2004Activity Resource Sheet D3: The relationship between gold medal tally and population size• Figure 4: Population and gold medal distribution by continent, Athens 2004• Table 2: Top 10 gold medal-winning countries adjusted for population, Athens 2004• Figure 5: Semi-logarithmic scatter graph showing the relationship between gold medal tally and population, Athens

2004Activity Resource Sheet D4: The relationship between gold medal tally and relative wealth• Figure 6: The relationship between Gross Domestic Product PPP per capita and the number of gold medals won (by

region), Athens 2004 Olympic Games• Table 3: Top 10 gold medal-winning countries adjusted for GNI PPP per capita, Athens 2004• Figure 7: Semi-logarithmic scatter graph showing the relationship between gold medal tally and GDP PPP per

capita, Athens 2004Activity Resource Sheet D5: Student tasksDrawing the lessons together and ideas for follow-up and assessmentActivity Resource Sheet D6: Supplementary data

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GOING FOR GOLD THE BEIJING GAMES

OverviewIn this activity we focus on global inequalities insporting achievement as measured by the medaltally at successive Summer Olympic Games—Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and now, Beijing 2008.In doing so we have an opportunity to develop ourunderstanding of global inequalities and practice arange of geographical skills including: theinterpretation of column and line graphs,choropleth maps, proportional circle graphs, piegraphs and semi-logarithmic graphs.

RationaleGeographers have always been interested in thespatial patterns that occur across the earth’ssurface. Of particular interest are the enormousvariations in the quality of life experienced bypeople living in different parts of the world. Intrying to understand and explain these differences,countries are often classified as either ‘developed’or ‘developing’. Geographers use a range of‘indicators’ to classify countries using thesecategories. These indicators include Gross NationalIncome (GNI) per capita, the United Nation’sHuman Development Index (HDI), life expectancy,fertility rates, infant mortality, access to clean waterand sanitation, and a range of health andeducation-related indicators. These data, compiledby various international bodies, can be mapped toidentify spatial patterns or graphed to determinerelationships between individual indicators.

The question at the core of this activity is the extentto which sporting success, as measured by themedal tally at an Olympic Games, is related to anation’s population and/or level of development orwealth.

Key questions include:• Which countries and regions of the world are

the most successful in winning medals at theSummer Olympic Games?

• Do countries with larger populations win moremedals?

• Do the world’s developed countries win moremedals than developing countries?

IntroductionWhile the International Olympic Committee(IOC) discourages the ranking of countriesaccording to the number of medals won at eitherthe Summer or Winter Olympic Games, manymedia organisations seek to turn the games intoan international contest by publishing daily talliesof medals won. These data are now readilyavailable on the internet.

The competition between nations for Olympicglory reached a peak during the Cold War whenthe Olympic Games became a defactobattleground for the competing ideologies ofcapitalism and communism. During this era vastresources were poured into sporting programs bysome countries with the goal being greaterinternational recognition and prestige throughsporting success. Constructing such medal tallies isnot, however, as straightforward as it might seem.Simply adding up and publishing the number ofmedals won by specific countries ignores the greatvariations in the populations from which winningathletes are drawn and wealth available to supportand promote sporting achievement.

In crude terms, the United States came out on topat the 2004 Athens games, with 36 gold medals,followed by China (32) and Russia (27) (see Table1). Obviously, countries with large populationstend to do well because the sheer weight ofnumbers inevitably produces athletes withexceptional ability. There are, of course, alwaysexceptions to this generalisation. Australia, withonly 21 million people, was ranked fourth with 17gold medals while India with a population of abillion won just a single silver medal. TheBahamas—with fewer than 300,000 people—cameout well ahead on a population per medal basis,followed by Norway, Australia, Hungary and Cuba(see Table 2). The USA ranked 34th, Russia 23rd,the UK 29th, Canada 37th and China 51st. Sopopulation size alone is not a good predictor ofOlympic success. The relationship between goldmedal tallies and population size is examined inTable 2 and Figure 5.

Going for goldDr. Grant KleemanMacquarie University, Sydney

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THE BEIJING GAMES GOING FOR GOLD

What about wealth then? Modern sport requires alot of expensive infrastructure—stadiums,swimming pools, velodromes, etc—in order fornational success to be achieved.

So while athletes from developing countries findsuccess on the track, especially in middle andlong-distance running dominated by countriessuch as Ethiopia and Kenya, there were few non-European athletes wining medals in the pool or incanoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, rowing,shooting and yachting events.

On the other hand, Asian competitors tend todominate in some sports, especially badmintonand table tennis, and the various martial artsdisciplines such as judo and archery. Even in thisinstance it tends to be the industrialised Asiannations of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan thatdominate.

While there does appear to be a link betweenwealth and the distribution of medals there are,again, some notable exemptions. Switzerland, oneof the world’s wealthiest countries, could onlymanage a single gold medal, while tinyLuxembourg, which enjoys the world’s highest percapita national income, could not manage amedal of any type. Then there are those countrieswhich excel in winter sports rather than thosefeatured in the Summer Olympics. Therelationship between gold medal tallies andnational (and regional) wealth is examined inFigures 6 and 7, and in Table 3.

One way of taking into account both populationsize and income is to divide the number of medalswon by national income per head, when adjustedfor purchasing power parity (PPP).

So how can we tell who has done well, adjusted forsize and income? Just dividing medals by totalnational income does not say much, because thatdoes not account for population size. One answeris to use national income per head, adjusted forpurchasing power parity. This is the measure ofthe relative purchasing power of differentcountries’ currencies for the same types of goodsand services.

When we divide the number of gold medals wonby an country’s individual national income, weestablish a point of comparison that takes into

account cost of living differences between thewealthy and the less well off but which does notpenalise large developing countries. It alsoaccommodates the different performancesbetween the wealthy countries.

This approach reveals a number of interestingresults. China, rather than the USA, tops themedal tally—the country’s immense populationsize more than compensating for its relatively lowincome. Cuba’s modest population size (11.4million) and relatively low income highlights whatan achievement its nine gold, seven silver andeleven bronze medals - mostly won in Olympicboxing - really is. The same goes for Ethiopia (2gold) and Kenya (1 gold). The gold medal haul ofUSA (36) and Australia (17) remains impressiveby any measure and demonstrates the extent towhich a national obsession with sportingachievement can fuel Olympic success.

Preparation and introductory activitiesBefore beginning this study students should befamiliar with a range of development relatedconcepts including development, spatialinequality, infrastructure, purchasing power percapita and demography, and possess a generalawareness of the global pattern of social andeconomic wellbeing. This awareness can beachieved by having students study atlas mapsshowing a range of development related indicatorsincluding: GNI per capita, the UN’s HumanDevelopment Index (an index combiningindicators of real purchasing power, education,and health), life expectancy, total fertility, infantmortality, education, access to clean water andsanitation and human rights, including the statusof women and minorities.

Students also need to consider the factors likely toaffect sporting success in the Olympic Games. Thiscan be achieved by having the class complete thefollowing activity:

ActivityStudy Figure 1. As a class, discuss the factorsaffecting sporting success in Olympic competition.Can you identify any additional factors? Which ofthe factors listed do you think are the mostimportant? Be prepared to justify your choice.The data required for the activities included withthis study are presented on the following pages.


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Activity Resource Sheet D1: Factors affecting sporting success in Olympic competition

The race for Olympic gold

Resources: The financial resources available tosupport athletes and provide training andcompetition venues. These can be provided bygovernments and/or the corporate sectorthrough grants, sponsorship agreementsand donations.

Climate: Cold climate countries dominate theWinter Olympics, but do not feature soprominently when it comes to the medal tally atthe Summer Olympic Games. Temperate andwarm climates favour other sports. For example,Australia’s strength in swimming and otherwater-based sports can, at least in part, beexplained by the country’s climate andbeach culture

National identity: The relationship betweensport and national identity is, in some instances,very strong. Americans and Australians, forexample, are often seen as being sportsobsessed. The sporting culture of such countriesis seen as being central to the way its people seethemselves collectively and portray their societyto the world

Culture: Some sports are closely linked to theculture of a particular nation or region. Forexample, table tennis is closely associated withChina, basketball and baseball with the USA,swimming with Australia and the USA, boxingwith Cuba, gymnastics with Eastern Europeancountries, and long-distance running withEthiopia and Kenya.

Table 1: Top five gold medal-winning nations 1988 to 2004

Seoul 1988 Barcelona 1992 Atlanta 1996 Sydney 2000 Athens 2004 Beijing 2008

1 USSR Russia* USA USA USA

2 East Germany USA Russia Russia China

3 USA Germany Germany China Russia

4 South Korea China China Australia Australia

5 West Germany Cuba France Germany Japan

* competing as the Unified Team (former USSR)

Figure 1: Factors affecting sporting success in Olympic competition

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Activity Resource Sheet D2: The Summer Olympics—a truly global event


Figure 3: Changing Summer Olympic Games goldmedal distribution, 1988 to 2004

Figure 2C: Number of sporting events contested in theSummer Olympic Games, 1968 to 2004

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Figure 2A: Number of countries participating in theSummer Olympic Games, 1968 to 2004

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Figure 2B: Numbers of athletes participating in theSummer Olympic Games, 1968 to 2004

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Figure 4: Population and gold medal distribution by continent, Athens 2004

Activity Resource Sheet D3: Relationship between gold medal tally and population size

Source: International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Population Bureau, World Population Data Sheet 2007.


Oceania

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East Asia

South East AsiaSouth Central Asia

Western Asia

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CentralAmerica

&Caribbean

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Africa

Total number of gold medals awarded = 301

Oceania

Europe East Asia

South East Asia

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Central America & Caribbean

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Africa

Total population = 6,625 million

Table 2: Top 10 gold medal-winning countries adjusted for population, Athens 2004

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 30 August 2004

Rank Country Number of Population per gold medalgold medals (’000)

1 Bahamas 1 317

2 Norway 5 910

3 Australia 17 1,186

4 Hungary 8 1,229

5 Cuba 9 1,258

6 New Zealand 3 1,301

7 Jamaica 2 1,339

8 Greece 6 1,827

9 Sweden 4 2,222

10 Georgia 2 2,537

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Figure 7: Semi-logarithmic scatter graph showing the relationship between gold medal tally and GDP PPP percapita, Athens 2004

Table 3: Top 10 gold medal-winning countries adjusted for GNI PPP per capita, Athens 2004


Source: IOC, United Nations Development Program: Human Development Report and World Population Bureau: World Population Data Sheet

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Key to country codesAz = AzerbaijanKz = KazhakstanDo = Dominican RepublicBu = BukgariaSA = South AfricaCr = CroatiaLi = LithuaniaCz = Czech RepublicUAE = United Arab EmiratesBe = Belgium

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Rank Country Number of gold medals1 China 322 Russia 273 Ethiopia 24 Kenya 15 Ukraine 96 Uzbekistan 27 Romania 88 USA 369 Brazil 510 Georgia 2


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1. Study Figures 2a–c and then complete thefollowing tasks:a. Outline the trend in the number of countries

competing in the Summer Olympic Gamessince 1968. As a class discuss the possiblereasons for the trend identified.

b. Use the internet to investigate the boycotts ofthe Montreal and Moscow Olympics. Write aparagraph outlining the reasons for each of theboycotts.

c. Using data from the graphs, describe the trendsin the number of participating athletes and thenumber of sporting events contested at theSummer Olympic Games between 1968 and2004.

2. Study Figure 3. Outline the trends in the numberof gold medal-winning countries and the share ofgold medals won by athletes from the top fivemedal-winning countries between 1988 and 2004.As a class discuss the possible reasons for thetrends identified.

3. Study Figure 4 and then complete the followingtasks:a. State the percentage of gold medals won by

European athletes in 2004.b. State the percentage of the world’s population

that lives in Europe.c. State the percentage of gold medals were won

by athletes from South Central Asia in 2004.d. State the percentage of the world’s population

that lives in South Central Asia.e. Identify those regions of the world that win a

share of gold medals greater than its relativeshare of the world’s population.

f. Identify those regions of the world that win ashare of gold medals smaller than its relativeshare of the world’s population.

g. What do the answers to tasks 3a–3f suggestabout the relationship between Olympicsuccess and population at the regional scale?

4. Study Figure 5 and then answer then completethe following tasks:a. Draw a ‘line of best fit’ on Figure 5. There

should be approximately equal numbers ofcountries above and below the line.

b. Identify at least three countries that fit into thefollowing patterns:i. Large population, many gold medalsii. Medium population, many gold medals woniii.Small population, many gold medals won.iv. Large population, few medal won.v. Identify at least three countries that did

better than you might expect, i.e. thosecountries that lie above the line of best fit.

vi. Identify at least three countries that didworse than you might expect, i.e thosecountries that lie below the line of best fit.

c. Describe the nature of the relationship betweengold medal tally and population. Suggestpossible reasons for this relationship. Is thecorrelation relatively strong or weak?

5. Study Figure 6 and then complete the followingtasks:a. With the aid of an atlas identify those regions of

the world with GDP PPP per capita greater thanUS$10,000.

b. With the aid of an atlas identify those regions ofthe world with GDP PPP per capita of less thanUS$1,000.

c. Estimate the number of gold medals won bythe countries of:i. North America.ii. East Asia.iii.Western Europe.iv. Oceania.v. Africa.vi. South America.

d. Drawing on your answers to tasks 5a–5c,describe the relationship between the goldmedal tally and the general pattern of wealth(as measured by GNP PPP per capita) for theregions identified.

6. Study Figure 7 and then complete the followingtasks:a. Draw a ‘line of best fit’ on Figure 7. There

should be approximately equal numbers ofcountries above and below the line.

b. Identify at least three countries that fit into thefollowing patterns:i. Large GDP PPP per capita, many gold medals.ii. Medium GDP PPP per capita, many gold

medals won.iii.Low GDP PPP per capita, many gold medals

won.iv. Large GDP PPP per capita, few medals won.v. Identify at least three countries that did

better than you might expect, i.e. thosecountries that lie above the line of ‘best fit’.

vi. Identify at least three countries that didworse than you might expect, i.e thosecountries that lie below the line of ‘best fit’.

c. Describe the nature of the relationship betweengold medal tally and wealth (as measured byGNI PPP per capita). Is the correlationrelatively strong or weak?

7. Study Table 1, 2 and 3. Compare the countrieslisted in Tables 2 and 3 with those in Table 1and then consider the following questions:a. Are there any countries which appear in

more than one ranking?b. Which do you consider the most appropriate

method for ranking countries? Be preparedto justify your choice.


Activity Resource Sheet D5: Student tasks

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Drawing the lesson togetherHaving completed these activities studentsshould be able to identify the countries andregions of the world that are the most successfulin wining medals at the Summer Olympic Games.They should be able to respond in an informedway to the suggestion that countries with largerpopulations and greater wealth win more goldmedals. They should, however, also appreciatethat there are dangers in making sweepinggeneralisations regarding the relationshipbetween Olympic success and factors such aspopulation size and wealth. There are, as notedin the Introduction, some important exceptionsto this generalisation. It should also be apparentthat the gold medal domination of the traditionalsporting ‘superpowers’ has waned at little sincethe 1960s and that the world’s changing politicalgeography is mirrored in Olympic competition.

Ideas for follow-upExtension activity 1Access the International Olympic Committee(IOC) website following the Beijing Games andadd the relevant data to the tables and graphsincluded in this study. Using GDP per capita US$PPP data from the UN Human Development Report2007–08, construct your own semi-logarithmicgraph using Figure 5 or Figure 7 as a model.Having completed these tasks, determinewhether the trends identified in this study areconfirmed by the data generated from thecompetition in Beijing.

Extension activity 2Investigate the extent to which the growth in thenumber of countries participating in the SummerOlympic Games (see Figure 2a) and the changesin the countries dominating the top five positionsof the gold medal tally (see Table 1) reflect theworld’s geopolitical changes in the late twentiethcentury.

Extension activity 3Locate an atlas map showing the global patternof economic and social wellbeing (as measuredby the United Nations Human DevelopmentIndex). Investigate whether the conclusionsdrawn in Activities 5 and 6 remain valid when thismeasure of development is considered.


Extension activity 4This activity will suit older or more able students,particularly those who work quickly with handlingdata. Hand out Activity Resource Sheet D6:Supplementary data. Organise students in groups oftwo to three and tell them that you would like themto do the following:1. Devise two hypotheses that will test the

relationship between any two of the variables inthe table, i.e. gold medal tally, GDP per capita(US$ PPP) and population.

2. Produce scatter graphs, complete with lines ofbest fit, to illustrate the relationships.

3. Using these graphs, test whether the hypothesesare accepted or not.

4. Write up the investigation individually usingthese headings—aim of the investigation,method used, presentation of results andconclusion.

5. Consider what other data might help to find outmore about testing your hypotheses further.

Ideas for assessmentStudents can be assessed on their ability to interpretthe types of graphs and maps included in thisOlympic Games-based activity. Teachers can alsogenerate additional questions using the stimulusmaterial featured.

Questioning, discussion and written tasks can beused to ascertain the level of student understandingand evaluate the general effectiveness of the activity.

ReferencesInternational Olympic Committee

<www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp>Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004, Medal tally by

world population, <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/mediareleasesbytitle/BE9F47591541E29ECA256EF40004F25A?OpenDocument>

Population Reference Bureau <www.prb.org/>.


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Activity Resource Sheet D6: Supplementary data

Country Gold medal tally Population 2004 Popuation 2004 GDP per capita GDP per capitaAthens 2004 Logarithm US$ PPP 2004 Logarithm

USA 36 295,400,000 8.4704 39676 4.5985

China 32 1,308,000,000 9.1166 6757 3.8298

Russia 27 143,900,000 8.1580 10845 4.0352

Australia 17 19,900,000 7.2988 30331 4.4819

Japan 16 127,900,000 8.1068 29251 4.4661

Germany 13 82,600,000 7.9169 28303 4.4518

France 11 60,300,000 7.7803 29300 4.4669

Italy 10 58,000,000 7.7634 28180 4.4499

Korea 9 47,600,000 7.6776 20499 4.3117

United Kingdom 9 59,500,000 7.7745 30821 4.4888

Cuba 9 11,200,000 7.0492 2950 3.4698

Ukraine 9 47,000,000 7.6721 6394 3.8058

Hungary 8 10,100,000 7.0043 16814 4.2257

Romania 8 21,800,000 7.3385 8480 3.9284

Greece 6 11,100,000 7.0453 22205 4.3464

Brazil 5 183,900,000 8.2646 8195 3.9135

Norway 5 4,600,000 6.6628 38454 4.5849

Netherlands 4 16,200,000 7.2095 31789 4.5023

Sweden 4 9,000,000 6.9542 29541 4.4704

Spain 3 42,600,000 7.6294 25047 4.3988

Canada 3 32,000,000 7.5051 31263 4.4950

Turkey 3 72,200,000 7.8585 7753 3.8895

Poland 3 38,600,000 7.5866 12974 4.1131

New Zealand 3 4,000,000 6.6021 23413 4.3695

Thailand 3 63,700,000 7.8041 8090 3.9079

Belarus 2 9,800,000 6.9912 6970 3.8432

Austria 2 8,200,000 6.9138 32276 4.5089

Ethiopia 2 75,600,000 7.8785 756 2.8785

Iran 2 68,800,000 7.8376 7525 3.8765

Slovakia 2 5,400,000 6.7324 14623 4.1650

Taiwan 2 22,900,000 7.3598 25330 4.4036

Georgia 2 4,500,000 6.6532 2844 3.4539

Bulgaria 2 7,800,000 6.8921 8078 3.9073

Jamaica 2 2,600,000 6.4150 4163 3.6194

Uzbekistan 2 26,200,000 7.4183 1869 3.2716


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Country Gold medal tally Population 2004 Popuation 2004 GDP per capita GDP per capitaAthens 2004 Logarithm US$ PPP 2004 Logarithm

Morocco 2 31,000,000 7.4914 4309 3.6344

Denmark 2 5,400,000 6.7324 31914 4.5040

Argentina 2 38,400,000 7.5843 13298 4.1238

Chile 2 16,100,000 7.2068 10874 4.0364

Kazakhstan 1 14,800,000 7.1703 7440 3.8716

Kenya 1 33,500,000 7.5250 1140 3.0569

Czech Republic 1 10,200,000 7.0086 19408 4.2880

South Africa 1 47,200,000 7.6739 11192 4.0489

Croatia 1 4,500,000 6.6532 12191 4.0860

Lithuania 1 3,400,000 6.5315 13107 4.1175

Egypt 1 72,600,000 7.8609 4211 3.6244

Switzerland 1 7,200,000 6.8573 33040 4.5190

Indonesia 1 220,100,000 8.3426 3609 3.5574

Zimbabwe 1 12,900,000 7.1106 2065 3.3149

Azerbaijan 1 8,400,000 6.9243 4153 3.6184

Belgium 1 10,400,000 7.0170 31096 4.4927

Bahamas 1 300,000 5.4771 17843 4.2515

Israel 1 6,600,000 6.8195 24382 4.3871

Cameroon 1 16,000,000 7.2041 2174 3.3373

Dominican Republic 1 8,800,000 6.9445 7449 3.8721

United Arab Emirates 1 4,300,000 6.6335 24056 4.3812


going for gold - geographical association · going for gold the beijing games overview in this...

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