Competition

The story goes like this: The hare, the tortoise, and a dozen of other animals plan to have a contest for fun. To begin with, they cannot come to the agreement what game to play; while the duck and the frog object to the idea of a simple racing because they cannot run fast, the hare and the deer are strongly against the idea of swimming gala as neither of them know how to float on water.

After a lengthy discussion, the wise old cow suggests a cross-country racing that encompasses both running and swimming. Moreover, each participating animal can bring their own equipment to help them finish with the competition – as long as they are not hindering the others.

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I shall not elaborate on who wins the race and how and why. This is a perfect illustration of what a fair competition is. No, it is unrealistic to ask for everyone being the same or starting at the same line. In fact, it is close to impossible to have a system that allows every participant to have a similar probability of winning. All we could – and all we have to – guarantee is everyone has some chance to win, and setting plot against the others is not allowed.