An Analysis of Nations' Performance in International Multi-Sport Competitions

In recent years the competition between nations for success in elite sport has intensified, which has resulted in increasing sums of money being invested by some nations into elite sport development programmes. At the same time many governments around the world have adopted national sports policies that specify hosting major sports events as a major objective. A broad range of benefits have been suggested for both the country and the host city from staging these events. Set against this background of greater competition for hosting major sports events and achieving success in elite sport, the portfolio of publications contributes to knowledge in three ways. First, the research illustrates alternative ways by which nations' success in elite sport can be judged in major multi-sport events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. Second, the research provides new insights into the impacts of hosting these events from an elite performance perspective by investigating the prevalence of a home advantage effect and the factors that contribute to its occurrence. Third, the research also demonstrates how competitive balance has evolved in the specific context of the Commonwealth Games.