Putting yourself on the map

Russell Earnshaw is a fossicker.
He finds remarkable treasures as he engages with his social network .. and then shares them.
Two days ago he retweeted this:


This is an article in English about the map.
This, I believe, is the original article in Hungarian from 444.hu (written by haszanz).
I think it is a very powerful visualisation that shares the observation “since 2000, every single Men’s Water Polo Olympic Gold Medallist was born within the marked area of the circle.”
The map has really got me thinking about the cultural infrastructure that supports such a concentration of performance.
The gold medalists from Sydney to Rio have lived in:

  • Budapest (15)
  • Dubrovnik (8)
  • Belgrade (5)
  • Novi Sad (4)
  • Szeged, Rijeka, and Split (2 each)
  • Miskolc, Dunajská Streda, Eger, Szolnok, Nis, Zrenjanin, Makarska, Pula, and Kotor (1 each)

Whilst there is a lot of research to be done about each of these athletes, it has encouraged me to reflect on how we develop cultural capital around play, games and sport.
I am extremely grateful to Russell the fossicker for connecting me with the map. I am meeting him on Sunday so we will have lots to discuss.
PS I will tell him that a fossicker is a term of endearment (“To search for gold, especially by reworking washings or waste piles”.)

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