New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size"

[reprobate]

@dogmeat Nah bro, the Fins are has-beens.
Had their best result in Antwerp in 1920, our first Olympic year - and Wikipedia reckons they haven't won a gold since Beijing 2008, or more than 2 since LA in 1984.

[SBW1]

@Windows97 No Jamaica which has upwards of 2 million people is mainly known for incredible sprinters like Bolt, in addition they like the other three often compete as the West Indies. We were ahead of Jamaica is the last Olympics even in per capita terms.

[SBW1]

@reprobate The Finns performance at Antwerp does indeed go down as the all time greatest performances. It was at a scaled down Olympics due to the Spanish Flu and Finland had just acquired independance, they probably had a population of just over 2 million. . Finland is a true outlier and also did some freaky shit against the Russians in World War 2.

1920 Summer Olympics - Wikipedia

[dogmeat]

Our proud tradition in rowing began at Antwerp with a bronze to Darcy Hadfield in the single sculls

[SBW1]

Really hoping we can finish the year strong. If we do we could indeed be in some respect compartive to the Flying Finns, whose achievements would be gold star for a smaller nation.

[ACT Crusader]

@mariner4life said in New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size":

i would say Basketball is a truly global game. Professional leagues all over the world. The NBA has a massive following everywhere of course, but while that is the centre of the basketball universe, it's huge in Europe, big in Asia.

And really growing in Africa with the African League and the NBA investing there. Probably the fastest growing sports and exploding in western and Northern Africa.

[canefan]

@mariner4life said in New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size":

i would say Basketball is a truly global game. Professional leagues all over the world. The NBA has a massive following everywhere of course, but while that is the centre of the basketball universe, it's huge in Europe, big in Asia.

The main global sports are football and basketball. Others, such as baseball have a huge following in the Americas and Asia. Rugby must be a fair way back

[nzzp]

@canefan said in New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size":

@mariner4life said in New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size":

i would say Basketball is a truly global game. Professional leagues all over the world. The NBA has a massive following everywhere of course, but while that is the centre of the basketball universe, it's huge in Europe, big in Asia.

The main global sports are football and basketball. Others, such as baseball have a huge following in the Americas and Asia. Rugby must be a fair way back

by fan numbers, cricket is up there (thanks India). Far from a 'niche' sport

Sep 13, 2023  /  WorldAtlas Originals

The Most Popular Sports In The World

Discover the top 10 most popular sports in the world, their history, and what makes them so captivating — from soccer and cricket to basketball and golf.

[mariner4life]

that article is fucking retarded, where in gods name did you find that?

Also Cricket is very much a niche sport. Test cricket even more so.

And i reckon those fan numbers are completely made up, based on nothing more than the populations of countries who might know what the sport is, and a healthy dose of national stereotyping.

[Rapido]

@SBW1 said in New Zealand is a top sporting nation for its size":

Really hoping we can finish the year strong. If we do we could indeed be in some respect compartive to the Flying Finns, whose achievements would be gold star for a smaller nation.

Is there some sort of league table inside your head where the next few months tips the balance over the century old weighted Finns exploits?