EXPECTED TO DECAY GRADUALLY

EDS VAR. MISS THE ROMANCE OF INTUITION AND GUT FEELINGS

Out of NEW YORK

Editors note: The following release presumably highlights the astuteness of PWC's analytical crunchers, but it makes the editors fear a loss of romanticism. This editorial melancholy may be enhanced by the recent feelings of guilt experienced by the editors when they decide to spend the train ride reading a magazine instead of looking for suspicious packages.

PwC Model Assesses Population, Relative Income Levels and Political Factors in Determining Medal Success

Almost fifteen years after the Berlin Wall was razed, many former Soviet bloc countries continue to win significantly more medals at the Olympic Games than would be predicted by the size of their economies, according to a new study by economists at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The research also revealed that whether a country was formerly a member of the Soviet bloc was highly significant, due no doubt to the high political importance given to athletics in many of these countries. Evidence from the Sydney Olympics suggests that these effects were still significant around a decade after the dissolution of the Soviet bloc, although they might be expected to decay gradually over time in the future.