Decathlon scoring tables
Encyclopedia
The scoring tables for the decathlon
have undergone continual evolution since their inception about a century ago, with several changes to both the character of the equations and the indices on which the equations are based.
in 1884) until 1915, involved linear
scoring equations. The American model
was based on world record
s, but models concurrently used by several Nordic countries
were based on their respective national records.
The decathlon was first included in the Olympic Games
in 1912, requiring a uniform standard. The first Olympic tables adopted were also linear functions; they were based not on world or national records, but, rather, on the 1908 Olympic records for each of the individual events. The tables were soon updated with the 1912 Olympic records - and the universally-disliked extension of event scores to three decimal places was discarded in favor of integer scores - and the tables were used thus in the next four Olympiads.
The rapid evolution of the scoring tables caused results to vary widely. For instance, Akilles Järvinen
, the silver medal
ist in the decathlon in both the 1928 and 1932 Olympics
, would have won gold in both years rather handily under most later years' scoring tables.
(1) The table should reflect the fact that, at higher levels of performance, a unit gain (such as a decrement of 0.01 second in sprint times) is more significant than at lower levels of performance, because of the physiological limitations of the human body.
(2) The scores for different events should be comparable, in a manner such that equal skill levels in different events (however difficult it is to define such a concept) are rewarded with equal point levels.
. This scoring system implemented vast changes, with the following features:
(1) All of the individual events were scored with exponential
functions, rather than the linear functions that had characterized all decathlon scoring tables to date. For field events, this was a straightforward statistical procedure; for track events, the reciprocal
of the athlete's time, representing speed
, was used as the independent variable.
(2) The tables ranged from 0 to 1150 points per event. Zero points corresponded to the performances of untrained schoolchildren, and 1000-point performances corresponded closely to world records.
, the Finnish
and Swedish
athletics federations joined forces to draft scoring tables appropriate for Olympic athletes' improved postwar performances. All of the tables remained progressive in nature; in fact, the progressive character of every one of the ten tables increased.
athletic federation, devised new tables that were actually regressive in throwing events, while retaining their progressive character in track events. The rationale behind the changes was the proportion
between kinetic energy
imparted to a throwing implement and the square of its initial velocity - and therefore distance travelled - so that a progressive or even linear table caused unfairly large increments in the score for throwing events.
The IAAF working committee therefore met in 1983 in Prague
to develop improved tables, putting forth the following nine principles, which still stand today:
The 1984 tables are still in use today, with a slight update in 1998 (adding entries for the long throws for odd numbers of centimeters, which were rounded to the next-lower multiples of 2 cm until 1997).
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
have undergone continual evolution since their inception about a century ago, with several changes to both the character of the equations and the indices on which the equations are based.
Early decathlon tables
All of the earliest attempts at formalizing decathlon scoring, from the first formal submission (prepared by the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1884) until 1915, involved linear
Linear function
In mathematics, the term linear function can refer to either of two different but related concepts:* a first-degree polynomial function of one variable;* a map between two vector spaces that preserves vector addition and scalar multiplication....
scoring equations. The American model
Mathematical model
A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines A mathematical model is a...
was based on world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s, but models concurrently used by several Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
were based on their respective national records.
The decathlon was first included in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1912, requiring a uniform standard. The first Olympic tables adopted were also linear functions; they were based not on world or national records, but, rather, on the 1908 Olympic records for each of the individual events. The tables were soon updated with the 1912 Olympic records - and the universally-disliked extension of event scores to three decimal places was discarded in favor of integer scores - and the tables were used thus in the next four Olympiads.
The rapid evolution of the scoring tables caused results to vary widely. For instance, Akilles Järvinen
Akilles Järvinen
Akilles Eero Johannes Järvinen was a Finnish athlete and decathlete and Olympic medallist....
, the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist in the decathlon in both the 1928 and 1932 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, would have won gold in both years rather handily under most later years' scoring tables.
Tests for legitimacy
Beginning in 1920, the IAAF considered, at least, the following criteria for a legitimate decathlon scoring table:(1) The table should reflect the fact that, at higher levels of performance, a unit gain (such as a decrement of 0.01 second in sprint times) is more significant than at lower levels of performance, because of the physiological limitations of the human body.
(2) The scores for different events should be comparable, in a manner such that equal skill levels in different events (however difficult it is to define such a concept) are rewarded with equal point levels.
1934 scoring tables
in 1934, the IAAF adopted a new set of scoring tables, proposed by Suomen Urheiluliitto (the Finnish athletics federation), that had already been used for a few years in national competitions in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. This scoring system implemented vast changes, with the following features:
(1) All of the individual events were scored with exponential
Exponential function
In mathematics, the exponential function is the function ex, where e is the number such that the function ex is its own derivative. The exponential function is used to model a relationship in which a constant change in the independent variable gives the same proportional change In mathematics,...
functions, rather than the linear functions that had characterized all decathlon scoring tables to date. For field events, this was a straightforward statistical procedure; for track events, the reciprocal
Multiplicative inverse
In mathematics, a multiplicative inverse or reciprocal for a number x, denoted by 1/x or x−1, is a number which when multiplied by x yields the multiplicative identity, 1. The multiplicative inverse of a fraction a/b is b/a. For the multiplicative inverse of a real number, divide 1 by the...
of the athlete's time, representing speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
, was used as the independent variable.
(2) The tables ranged from 0 to 1150 points per event. Zero points corresponded to the performances of untrained schoolchildren, and 1000-point performances corresponded closely to world records.
1950 scoring tables
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
athletics federations joined forces to draft scoring tables appropriate for Olympic athletes' improved postwar performances. All of the tables remained progressive in nature; in fact, the progressive character of every one of the ten tables increased.
1962 scoring tables
In the years following the implementation of the 1950 tables, controversy arose, in regard to the highly progressive character of the tables. Specifically, the tables conferred a distinct advantage on decathletes who were specialists in individual events, with passing, but not stellar, performances in the other events, while putting well-rounded athletes at a relative disadvantage. To remedy this problem, Axel Jörbeck, of the SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
athletic federation, devised new tables that were actually regressive in throwing events, while retaining their progressive character in track events. The rationale behind the changes was the proportion
Proportionality (mathematics)
In mathematics, two variable quantities are proportional if one of them is always the product of the other and a constant quantity, called the coefficient of proportionality or proportionality constant. In other words, are proportional if the ratio \tfrac yx is constant. We also say that one...
between kinetic energy
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
imparted to a throwing implement and the square of its initial velocity - and therefore distance travelled - so that a progressive or even linear table caused unfairly large increments in the score for throwing events.
1984 scoring tables
By the early 1980s, more problems had been pointed out with the then-current scoring tables. Specifically, the regressive nature of Jörbeck's tables for the field events seemed to obviate the importance of elite performances in those events; decathletes' field-event performances had improved to the point where further score increments were practically negligible. Moreover, besides sapping decathletes' motivation to improve in field events, the tables also gave an unfair advantage to competitors in the track events - both because those tables were still progressive and because decathletes' performances in those events were much closer to the world records.The IAAF working committee therefore met in 1983 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to develop improved tables, putting forth the following nine principles, which still stand today:
- The decathlon scoring tables should differ from those used for individual event scoring.
- The scores for different events should be comparable, in a manner such that equal skill levels in different events (however difficult it is to define such a concept) are rewarded with equal point levels.
- The new tables should be one of the following:
- modified versions of the existing ones,
- linear in all events, or
- slightly progressive in all events.
- The tables should be applicable to all levels of performance, from youth to elite.
- Men and women should have different tables.
- Specialists' performances should be the basis for the scores in the tables.
- The new tables should be applicable now and in the future.
- The total scores using the new tables for the top world-class athletes should remain approximately the same (about 8500 points).
- As much as possible, the new tables should ensure that a specialist in one event cannot overcome top performances in the other events.
The 1984 tables are still in use today, with a slight update in 1998 (adding entries for the long throws for odd numbers of centimeters, which were rounded to the next-lower multiples of 2 cm until 1997).