KNSB

Analytics drives Dutch gold rush at Sochi, Russia

If there is a sport the Dutch know well it is ice skating. The country’s canals and waterways have provided an ideal venue to skate during winter. Speed skating, ice skating’s competitive cousin, is a major sport in the Netherlands. It marries the joy of ice skating with the thrill of a professional sport. KNSB is the Dutch Speed Skating Association and the body responsible for selecting athletes that represent the country at international competitions. The Association has been a longtime customer of ORTEC Sports. They knew they could count on ORTEC’s expertise to inform the selection committee for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Data-driven decision making

KNSB wanted the best achievable medal haul at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The problem was that the 18 male and 18 female starting positions across speed skating events could only be filled by a maximum of 10 skaters. So they had to prioritize the starting positions where the probability of success was highest. This also meant that they had to compare skater performances at different distances (for instance, a 500m sprinter with a 10,000m skater). ORTEC Sports and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen first developed a statistical model for the selection committee to tackle this challenge in 2009. They asked us to revisit the model to provide a factual basis for their decisions in preparation for the 2014 games.

Analytics meets sports

The Dutch speed skating team won 23 (8 Gold, 7 Silver, 8 Bronze) of the 32 available medals for this category at Sochi, making it the most successful team in Olympic speed skating history. The team delivered a dominant performance. At ORTEC, we are proud to say we did out bit. Our project was hailed by the Dutch press and recognized as a great example of what collaboration between business and academia can achieve.

A winning streak, backed up by math

The Dutch speed skating team won 23 (8 Gold, 7 Silver, 8 Bronze) of the 32 available medals for this category at Sochi, making it the most successful team in Olympic speed skating history. The team delivered a dominant performance. At ORTEC, we are proud to say we did our bit. Our project was hailed by the Dutch press and recognized as a great example of what collaboration between business and academia can achieve.