Mr. Paul McDermott:

I think it is well established that GDP is a very significant indicator of success in international sport. One can look at those tables and see who is doing well and who is not, in terms of developed nations with high per capitaGDP. The issue in any of these things, including medal tables, is that when one looks further down the table and one is talking about two to six medals, one performance or one athlete winning a couple of medals can really throw the table off. If it is looked at over time, we have to accept that per capita GDP is a very strong indicator of performance.