India's Olympics Team-- An analysis

 

Since the Olympics are less than a week away, I thought of analyzing India's athletes taking their shot this year. Also, it will keep me more engaged and motivated to some of the games which may otherwise be too slow or boring for my taste.

 

A headcount comparison

The Games will feature 339 events in 33 different sports, encompassing a total of 50 disciplines. India has sent its largest contingent of 125 competitors to these Games: 70 men and 55 women in 68 events.

70 Male	55 Female	125 Total	68 Events

We could compare that to China's 125 men and 281 women for 406 medals- just for fun. The much greater number of female participants on the Chinese side is because a lot of the male participants could not qualify for Male events. Basketball, football, vollyball- being team events greatly increased number of female participants.

125 Male	281 Female	406 Total

The United States has sent 248 men and 329 female Olympians to fight for a total of 613 medals.

284 Male	329 Female	613 Total

I could find a decent study in of exploratory nature that links nations and their participation with the health and GDP of a nation. Those interested may find it here. The chart below indicates that being rich is perhaps one of the most important factors in winning medals- makes sense, since fitness and training facilities need huge costs.

 

Despite being feeble in shine compared to the heavier sides, India is sending its largest contingent to the games. The number of Indian athletes participating in the Summer Olympic Games has risen each time in past 3 olympics and that trend is continuing  at Tokyo 2020.

 

 

A good start for the list is the official site of course. Here is the list of Indians participating in this year in Tokyo. I have found Wikipedia to always be a better organized site, just in general. I hope the wiki page is kept updated by someone during the games.