Contributors: Anamaria Čičak, Mihaela Jukić, Andrea Jurić, Igor Keserin, Filip Kustura
This project is the result of a group seminar completed during the mandatory Statistics undergraduate course in the spring of 2021. It investigates the correlation between the average height of a nation's citizens and its success in the Summer Olympic Games (2016, Rio de Janeiro) and Winter Olympic Games (2018, Pyeongchang).
The study uses data collection, descriptive statistics and statistical tests to determine if a higher average citizen height correlates with a nation's success, measured by the number of Olympic medals won.
- Motivation: Analyzing Croatian sports success despite limited investment and exploring whether height plays a significant role in international achievements.
- Data Collection: Collection of country-specific height and Olympic medal data.
- Descriptive Statistics: Visualizations and calculations for both the Summer and Winter Games, including Pearson correlation coefficients.
- Statistical Tests: Conducting t-tests to evaluate correlation based on various success criteria, such as median and quartile cuts for medal counts.
The project was developed using R, applying descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing techniques. Separate analyses were conducted for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, providing comprehensive insights.
The research found a statistically significant correlation between average citizen height and Olympic success, suggesting that countries with taller populations may have a slight advantage in achieving greater success at the Olympic Games.