USA closes in on leader Norway in Global Cup table
In one of the thinnest months on record points-wise (only 314 GSN points awarded), the USA posted the biggest gain in the Global Cup’s top 10 in April, closing the gap with current leader Norway.
The USA won 29.6% of the points on offer in the month, the bulk of them at the men’s Golf Masters (where Will Zalatoris of the US was second behind Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama), and climbed 5 places in the table to reach second place in the Global Cup, the ranking of the world’s best sporting nations.
Norway is still clinging on to top spot after a very strong March performance, but it scored only 1 (one) point in April and, with the Snow & Ice sports season virtually over, its leadership is definitely under threat, despite the current 440-point cushion.
Only 17 nations scored points in April, with results coming from three sports only: Golf, Curling (well done Sweden for winning the men’s World Championship) and Rugby Union. In the latter, Great Britain (or England as was the case) won the women’s 6 Nations tournament, adding to a handful of points scored in Golf and Curling to finish in third place in the monthly table (please see below), behind the USA and Japan.
We’re looking forward to an easing of the Covid-19 restrictions worldwide as the year progresses, hopefully allowing more tournaments to take place regularly – making it easier for our tireless data trackers to keep up with tournament cancellations and postponements - and adding spice to the race for the 2021 Global Cup title.
Global Cup 2021 – April monthly ranking
|
Place
|
Country
|
Points
|
Points %
|
|
1
|
United States
|
93
|
29.6%
|
|
2
|
Japan
|
40
|
12.7%
|
|
3
|
Great Britain
|
32
|
10.2%
|
|
4
|
Thailand
|
20
|
6.4%
|
|
5
|
New Zealand
|
16
|
5.1%
|
|
6
|
Spain
|
14
|
4.5%
|
|
7
|
Australia
|
14
|
4.5%
|
|
8
|
South Korea
|
13
|
4.1%
|
|
9
|
France
|
13
|
4.1%
|
|
10
|
Sweden
|
10
|
3.2%
|
|
11
|
Italy
|
10
|
3.2%
|
|
12
|
Ireland
|
10
|
3.1%
|
|
13
|
China
|
9
|
2.9%
|
|
14
|
Denmark
|
9
|
2.9%
|
|
15
|
Switzerland
|
6
|
1.9%
|
|
16
|
Canada
|
5
|
1.6%
|
|
17
|
Norway
|
1
|
0.3%
|
|
Grand Total
|
314
|
100.0%
|
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Greatest Sporting Nation is a ranking of countries based on their performance in top-level international tournaments in sports in which there is genuine global competition. Countries (national teams and/or individual athletes) score Qualifying Points by finishing in the top eight places in Qualifying Events.
These Qualifying Points are then weighted to produce GSN Points, based on a formula that takes into account individual vs team sports, the sport’s participation (number of countries) and the frequency (annual/biennial/quadrennial) of the tournaments.
The Country scoring the most Points in a calendar year wins the Global Cup for that year. The country that scores the most points relative to its population wins the Per Capita Cup. For a more detailed explanation, please refer to the ‘How It Works’ section on the site.
