About us

I'm Dan Thompson and I'm passionate about sports. Playing them, watching them, talking about them - and endlessly perusing tables, results and rankings. I've long thought about a system that would answer the question : which country is the best at sport?

Prompted by the 2008 Olympics, and the global obsession with the medals table, I put some initial thoughts down on an email to a few friends in the autumn of 2008. Less than a year later we launched GreatestSportingNation.com which answers that question - and so much more!

 When I’m not working on GSN, I split my time between being Executive Chair of Gold Challenge and undertaking my own personal version of the Gold Challenge. The latter involves me doing every Olympic and Paralympic event that a single person can do – 110 in total – on behalf of Cancer Research UK, Oxfam, Scope, Right to Play and the NSPCC.
 
The Gold Challenge – www.goldchallenge.org – is a charity challenge inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics in which participants take on either the 2012km Challenge or the Olympic Sport Challenge. With over 60 000 registrants it is one of the UK’s (and possibly the world’s) largest charity challenges in terms of number of participants.
 
The Gold Challenge works in partnership with 150 of the UK’s leading charities, the British Olympic Association / Team GB, Sport England and the National Governing Bodies of the Olympic and Paralympic sports. It is part of the official mass participation legacy programme for London 2012.

Prior to the Gold Challenge, I helped launch and develop a number of media businesses including Renegade Software (computer & video games publisher sold to Time Warner), VideoJug Corporation (owner of VideoJug.com, the world’s most popular How To video site with over 5 million monthly visitors), and 365 Corporation PLC, taken from start up to flotation in 2 years, achieving a peak stock market valuation of approximately $1 billion.. 

I’ve also been a non-executive director and senior adviser to a number of companies in the media, technology and leisure sectors including Gamesys Ltd (owners of Jackpotjoy.com the UK's leading online bingo and instant win operator); World's End Television (Johnny Vaughan's production company) and Glassworks Ltd (multi award winning post-production company). 

I’m also a Trustee and Treasurer of the Charity Technology Trust and a member of the Crimestoppers London Board. I was previously a Board member and Treasurer of Amnesty International (
UK).

 

 Hans Stocker

Hans is an experienced Chief Technology Officer with 25 year experience in developing mission-critical IT Systems.

He has always been intrigued by sport, mostly bewildered by others interest in it!
 
He is however passionate about creating useful and compelling online services to web users, and is deeply committed to the GSN project.
 
Nic Mira
 
I have been a successful marketing and business professional for leading American and German multinationals in a previous life.
 
Then my love of sports and sport statistics took over and I helped create Greatest Sporting Nation, where I am responsible for the editorial content production.
 
To my sporting credit: I have worked as sailing instructor, won a national club skiing title in Italy, and am completely crazy about football. I practice regularly Triathlon, Alpine Skiing and Ski Mountaineering.
 
To my editorial credit: I freelanced as sports reporter for Football 365 and have written two splendidly unpublished novels.
 
I divide my time outside of Greatest Sporting Nation between writing, reading, travelling and working occasionally as management consultant in the cosmetics industry.