What are the predictions for Cuba in Tokyo 2020?

TOKYO, Japan, Jul 19 (ACN) One of the main appetizers of each Olympic event are the global medal predictions, true studies that go as far as to place the names of potential winners on the podiums.

Sports knowledge, mathematical models, computer systems and a lot of statistics come together in fascinating research works that try to get as close as possible to what will happen in the Games. Obviously, world events results and rankings throughout the last four years have a great influence, but variables such as the age and rank of the athletes are also taken into account.

Of course, this is not an exact science, no matter how much arithmetic is involved. Too many subjective issues do not fit into analytical systems that work with clear-cut data which are then taken to experts who make the final corrections before they run any name up the flagpole, and never as an absolute truth.

The sports publication JIT spent the last few hours reviewing some of the websites specialized in sports predictions, and found results that are sure to confirm certain opinions and question others: all reviews place the United States first on the Tokyo 2020 medal tables with 30-53 golds and hold that China is a shoo-in for second place, with 25 to 42 titles.

For the top ten there is also quite a consensus around Russia, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Australia, the Netherlands and France. Only one of the sources consulted, Towards Data Science, places a Latin American country among the top 10, namely Brazil, bound to get no less than 12 titles and 35 medals in total.

As for Cuba, undoubtedly the highlight of this article, there are all kinds of views. Totallympics, for example, places the island in 18th place with a harvest of four gold, five silver and two bronze medals (11 in total). Gracenote Sports released its prediction last April and placed the Cuban delegation in 23rd place with 13 podiums, two more than in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

The Olympic Medal Predictions website also predicts a 23rd position, venturing a 3-6-1 harvest for the Cuban athletes.

The aforesaid Towards Data Science holds that the United States will only win 30 gold medals, and it leaves Cuba out of its list, which only goes down to the 19th place.

Finally we have Best Sports, which gives us the 31st place (2-6-4), also more than four years ago.

These figures and considerations do not settle any sports dispute; they only add fuel to the fire of debate. Others should come out soon, and they will also be curiously welcome.