^aDepartment of Economics, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323, USA. E-mail: anutting@hamilton.edu

Abstract

When competitive weightlifters tie — a fairly frequent occurrence at the international level — the higher final rank is awarded to the lifter with the lower official bodyweight. Since winning a tiebreaker is more beneficial at higher ordinal ranks, tournament theory suggests a negative relationship between ability and bodyweight. Analysis from 58 Olympic tournaments shows evidence of a significantly negative relationship between ability and bodyweight except in heavier weight-classes. Cross-class differences in bodyweight reduction among high-ability lifters appear to be primarily attributable to cross-class differences in the expected benefits of bodyweight reduction.