ABSTRACT
Chapter 11 treats the third component of my WISE formula: Specialization (S). Focusing on medal promising sports has become a key strategy in Olympic policies around the world, and is the result of a strategic approach by governments. I demonstrate that more and more countries are joining the specialization trend: from low-income countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia who invest in running, to communist countries such as Cuba (boxing) to the best developed countries in the world such as Denmark (track cycling) and Germany (luge at the Winter Games). I argue that countries such as Finland and Sweden that do not introduce such a targeted approach are left behind in the medal rankings.
