The recent Wimbledon and Euro 2016 season set operational research scientists into looking at what happens when the rules of sport are changed or when existing rules lead to unforeseen consequences. They’ve been assessing how administrators and supporters deal with these situations and if their decision making could be better informed.

The research was carried out by Professor Graham Kendall, at The 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) and Dr Liam Lenten, at La Trobe 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ in Australia. They are operational research and economics scientists – experts in the use of advanced analytical techniques to improve decision making – and their findings have just been published online in the European Journal of Operational 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@.

The study was carried out in response to a recent analysis of sporting rules which called for more research to consider the rules of sports and tournaments and whether changes have led to unintended consequences.

Professor Kendall and Dr Lenten looked at specific examples of where the rules have led to unforeseen and/or unwanted consequences.

Professor Kendall said: “We compiled cases of ill-conceived rules which caused perverse unintended consequences. We discuss the implications for sports administrators and for policy makers in general. The hope is that it will help them review what has not previously worked and encourage them to engage with the scientific community when considering making rule changes.”

The interdisciplinary paper which cuts across economics, sport and operational research, looked at sports where the rules remain static and those where the rules change almost every year. The paper lists the sports in alphabetical order, to make the research more accessible.

The sports that are discussed include; athletics, baseball, cricket, cycling, football, hockey, tennis and rugby.

Professor Kendall said: “Many of the rule changes highlighted in this paper are aimed at making the sporting event more exciting. These are the rules that often lead to an unexpected occurrence which was not foreseen, even if it has the desired effect for the vast majority of the time.

“We hope that one consequence of this paper is that the scientific community and the sports industry can work more closely together in order to study the effects of potential rule changes before they are implemented, or implemented in such a way that they can be studied before wider adoption.

“As a call to action, perhaps the governing bodies of the major sports could invite academic representatives onto their committees, who would be tasked with identifying possible loopholes in proposed rule changes, perhaps in consultation with the wider scientific community. Alternatively, proposed rule changes could be posted in a public forum and interested academics could comment, perhaps after running simulations?”

This research is a direct result of Professor Kendall’s and Dr Lenten’s keen interest and numerous contributions to the academic website The Conversation. If you want to learn about how the paper came about – read this blog post.

— Ends —

More information is available from Professor Graham Kendall on graham.kendall@nottingham.edu.my, Josephine Dionisappu, PR & Communications Manager at The 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my or Lindsay Brooke, Media Relations Manager at The 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham UK on lindsay.brooke@nottingham.ac.uk.

Notes to editors: The 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China andMalaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK amonggraduate employers and the winner of ‘Outstanding Support for Early Career 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ers’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015. More than  97% ofresearch at The 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham is recognised internationally and it is 8th in the UK by research power according to the 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.