Selection of Olympic Events - A Quantitative Evaluation Based on the TOPSIS Model

Abstract

 The Olympic Games program is an extremely challenging task for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This paper has designed a mathematical model to assist staff in evaluating the scores of Olympic events based on Olympic values. Firstly, based on the IOC's six criteria, this paper constructs an evaluation system using 12 variables. Secondly, the weights calculated by the AHP method and optimized weights are respectively used in the TOPSIS model for assessment, where the optimized weights are derived through the integration of reverse learning and sinusoidal strategy whale optimization algorithms. Thirdly, this paper filters out some events that have been continuously held but with many competitions, those that have been held continuously but few competitions, those that have not been held continuously, and newly added events and calculates the scores of these events using both sets of weights and ranks them. It was found that Equestrian Driving and Lacrosse Sixes have scores lower than others, suggesting a lower likelihood of continuous hosting. Finally, three events, Baseball, Flag football, and Jeu de Paume, were selected for TOPSIS model calculation. After calculation, Baseball and Flag football scores were found to be close to those of Volleyball Indoor, an ongoing event. It is believed that they will be introduced in the 2032 and 2036 Olympic Games, but Jeu de Paume has a lower score and is less likely to be included in the Olympics. Lastly, this paper compares the weights obtained by the two methods and finds that while most indicators have similar weights, the AHP method focuses more on sustainability, while the optimization method focuses more on popularity and accessibility.