Generic handicapping for paralympic sports

Generic handicapping for paralympic sports

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Article ID: iaor20132503
Volume: 24
Issue: 3
Start Page Number: 349
End Page Number: 361
Publication Date: Jul 2013
Journal: IMA Journal of Management Mathematics
Authors:
Keywords: scheduling, probability
Abstract:

Class handicapping methods enable different classes of athletes to compete on equal terms. Different sports use a variety of algorithms, which are usually based on historical data and subjective opinions. A recent proposal is to use an interactive shrinkage method for class handicapping, as this is generic across sports and uses data from the current competition only. This article presents a mathematical justification of the interactive shrinkage method for class handicapping, based on an objective Bayesian analysis of a suitable probability model. It also investigates how this approach performs in the context of paralympic sports, by analyzing actual competition data and comparing the results with those from existing schemes. Our findings suggest that this method is robust, convenient and fair. We provide a discussion in this article to explore possible extensions of this procedure.

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