Teething tigers and solid bets

One of the best features of Greatest Sporting Nation’s Global Cup is that it’s not just about top nations and major sports.

132 nations out of a current planetary total of 201 (and counting…) have scored GSN points in the past year, and for every one of them there is a story to tell.

This time we seek out the best prospects for growth (in ranking terms) for 2012.

Among the top ten, there are three countries who not only look set to stay in the elite but are markedly growing. So watch out for France, 4^th overall with a gain of 6 positions vs 2010; Japan, 7^th in the ranking with a massive 10 positions increase vs 2010; and the real surprise of 2011, Kenya, who bounced back from 22^nd place in 2010 to a sensational 9^th place.

As for other countries with a strong growth record over time, the choice is pretty wide.

Starting from the top 20 positions, the rank outsiders and a good bet for the London Olympics are:

- South Korea, one of the few countries in the overall ranking without a single position loss between 2008 (15^th) and 2011 (12^th) , with two 13^th places in between. In 2011 they scored in 23 different sports, winning outright in Short Track and Tae-kwon-do, and doing well in Archery, Judo and Basketball. So watch out for them come August in London, as they’ll try improve the 17^th place overall they achieved in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

- Iran: whether it’s uranium- powered or not, the Persians’ progress has been strong since 2008: from 57^th overall in that year, they finished 42^nd in 2009, slipped back to 54^th in 2010 and staged a nuclear comeback to finish 33^rd in 2011. Their intentions are surely bellicose, and their best sports being Tae-kwon-do, Weightlifting, Wrestling Free and Greco-roman and Archery, the rest of the world has better take cover!

- Two African nations have been improving recently: South Africa from 51^st (2008) to 30^th (2011), thanks to Athletics, Rugby, Golf and Swimming; Angola, from 82^nd (2008) to 57^th (2011) though with only 2 sports, Basketball and Handball.

- Old Europe is well represented by Denmark, who leapt 10 positions from 2010 both in the overall Global Cup (28^th, with points from 15 sports, the top being Handball and Swimming) and in the Per Capita Cup: Denmark was 7^th at the end of 2011, very close to Austria and Sweden immediately ahead of them.

- The last honourable mention is for a sleeping tiger who’s beginning to limber up in the sports field as well as in the world economy: India in 2011 was the only GSN nation  outside the top 3  to record a steady year-on-year improvement since 2008, when it lied in 68^th position. In 2009 they finished 59^th, in 2010 53^rd and last year they were 40^th. Still some distance from the very top but India’s resources are huge and, given they scored in only 11 sports (Cricket,  Amateur Boxing and Archery their specialties), their potential for improvement is enormous.

For the record, they finished 94^th at the last Olympics, so the odds for a much better result in London are on.