Race in the Global Cup heats up behind the USA in June

June 2013 has been the third-busiest  month – GSN sportswise – in the year so far, and the first without any Winter Sport event.

All this activity, which included the Basketball Women Euro Championships and the FIFA Confederations Cup (football) among the main sports, has brought some change at the top of the  Global Cup ranking of sporting nations.

The almighty USA now lead by a larger margin (+53% of the points vs +21% in May) but Canada (2^nd) and Russia (3^rd) have overtaken surprising Norway.

 

Whilst the USA are stretching their lead, once again thanks also to the high number of different sports , 27 so far, in which they score points (second-placed Canada scores in 20), the race for second place is very hot. Only 43 points separate Canada, Russia and Norway, with four other nations (France, Germany, Great Britain and China) lying in ambush within another 205 points.

At the sporting year’s halfway mark, more points were scored overall vs last year (20758 vs 12638) and the top 20 Global Cup ranking sees more nations with at least a 3,5% share of points (10 vs 7 last year), this year’s inclusions being Austria, Switzerland and France.

 

Compared to the situation at the end of June 2012, the biggest ‘leapfroggers’ are Norway (+ 15 places vs last year) , thanks to an extraordinary Winter  Sports performance (2^nd overall, only 139 points behind the USA)  and a little help from Golf; Spain (Women Euro Basketball champions and Football Confederation Cup runners up) and France (silver in the Women’s Euro Basketball and a good showing in the Rugby Sevens World Cup), both up 10 places.

Among this year’s disappointments so far, South Korea (-9 places) and Netherlands (-10), while also Great Britain (-2 ) and China (-4) have slipped somewhat.

 

In the Per Capita Cup, which measures the sportiest nation, calculating how many inhabitants are needed to score 1 GSN point, Norway is leading, as well as being 4^th overall in the Global Cup! Slovenia is very narrowly second in the Per Capita Cup and a respectable 22^nd in the Global Cup, while 2012 Per Capita champions New Zealand are 14^th in the Global Cup and 3^rd in the Per Capita Cup. They have scored a record 65.1 points per count (ppc, point for each scoring placement) so far this year. The closest top 20 countries in this respect are Kenya with….23.1 ppc and  Spain with 20.3 ppc, while for example the USA have only 10.1 ppc. Well done Kiwis for showing great ability at hitting the spot when it counts.