Measuring Discipline Imbalance in Decathlon and Eptathlon Scoring Systems

In athletics, decathlon and heptathlon demand excellence across diverse disciplines, balancing physical and technical challenges. Scoring systems adopted by federations aim to ensure fair comparability across events, yet its effectiveness in maintaining balance remains debated. This study investigates whether the World Athletics system equitably reflects the difficulty of performance improvements across disciplines for top-level athletes. We review existing imbalance metrics, introduce new ones, and formalize imbalance using quantiles. By analyzing decathlon results from the Olympics and World Championships (2016–2024), we evaluate discrepancies in score distribution and effort required for comparable improvements. Our findings provide insights into potential biases, with implications for both athlete development and training.