Olympics: Battle for Supremacy

The Olympics is well-timed for a nationalistic evaluation of which may be today's top sporting nation. Not that I like such topics--I'm just sayin' that it seems so....

I'm not talking about USA vs. China medals count. There will be a perception of that outcome (or rather, multiple perspectives on it) rather than reality of it, which, if the numbers are close, with these two programs, won't be clear until the final "returns" come in, sometime around 2013. One key moment in the testa-a-testa, if it happens, will be if Yao Ming and China come up against the US' men's basketball team. The diplomatic thing to do in that case would be a polite 15-20 point win, but I feel that won't be the case, which could cause some huge emotions one way or the other.

No, I'm speaking of the continuing struggle for the best achievements as sportsmen, pound for pound, across the widest variety of broadly-competitive sports. Who's punching way above their weight?

Today it appears to me that there is a struggle for the top spot. Spain has risen to challenge Australia's leadership.

We should be familiar with the Aussies' long success in such sports as cricket, rugby, tennis, sailing, swimming, and Australian Rules Football. (Like US' footie, they got distracted by their own form of it from the world's game, though the Socceroos--like the US', see, they even call it the same--now have some respectable talent.) Some surprising new endeavors include bicycling--Cadel Evans finished a close second in the Tour de France and should win soon. Our "namie", Australian Casey Stoner, or as they say in Italia, "Lo Stoner", has clinched the world's Grand Prix title for the year. For the moto.

Nevertheless, and despite the emerging talent, Spain is kicking Aussie booty this year. First and foremost, they kicked Europe's in soccer--first time in most people's living memory--which has to hurt Aussie claims to superiority. The word is out about the Spanish men's basketball team (happens to be the reigning world champs)--look out! The man who edged Evans out in the TdF was Spaniard Carlos Sastre (assuming all urine samples check out). Rafael Nadal has now claimed #1 spot for Spain from that Aussie surrogate, Roger Federer of Switzerland or Monaco (nice try, Monegasques!) or whatever. How great that would be if they meet up in the finals of the Olympic men's singles! Even if, or particularly if, it doesn't count in their vaunted points struggle for the #1 ranking.

We'll be watching the emerging medal counts (total; and gold-only) for our two top-rated jousters in the national tilts, then dividing that by their relative populations. Also looking out for any other notable multi-sport performances by smaller countries.