The real medal counts at the Olympics
There are basically two types of events at the Olympics: those that are timed and those that are judged. The problem with the latter events, of course, is that they are subject to human fallability, national loyalty, grudges, and out-and-out dishonesty. I was therefore quite interested when my sister sent me to a sports blog written a few days ago that looked at the huge difference in US outcomes, depending on whether the winners were being calculated by an objective clock or a subjective judge. Turns out that the Chinese lead, while still there, is diminished significantly. Does any of this mean anything in the long run or the grand scheme of things? No. But it’s still interesting.
