Like you, I believe that high-performance sports are accessible only to a tiny fraction of those who practice that same sport at all levels.

When comparing those who participate in sports to those who do not participate in any sports or show any interest in sports activities, there is clearly an imbalance in the numbers and percentages of active people in the general population.

But here, I think there is something today that can help us as a society. The total number of athletes or sports participants is much lower; but those who reach a high-performance level may be in the same order of magnitude, in absolute terms—that is, a larger percentage of the total number of participants in that sport. And why do I think this happens?

• Greater access to sports equipment and facilities.
  There has been—and will increasingly be, driven by investment—an improvement in conditions for participating in sports in developing countries and regions. This does not apply to countries at war or those grappling with more pressing challenges, such as security, food, protection, and financial stability.

• The increase in the number of investors has led to greater investment in the professionalization of certain sports. This is evident in the fact that athletes from these developing countries are eventually taken in by other countries, and by becoming naturalized citizens of those host countries, they swell the ranks of professional national athletes. Investment has also been made in coaches, technical staff, professional strength and conditioning specialists, nutritionists, psychologists, and even sports equipment.

I believe that in the future, the nations that previously “dominated” the Olympic Games will find it increasingly difficult to field athletes who are native to their own countries, but they will always be able to compensate for this with professional athletes from other parts of the world.

In the world of soccer, we are increasingly seeing the penetration of international markets, with major European soccer clubs investing in promising young players who go on to become big stars—players from countries that, some 20 or 30 years ago, had virtually no presence in the sport. Take, for example, the “Blue Sharks”—the Cape Verdean national team! They’re already making history.... And history in sports means that people will always strive to achieve the best results, in the best way possible, and with the greatest consistency.