I've been enjoying the Olympics especially some of the newer sports, and think it's great that team GB are getting medals across a whole range of disciplines and events.
But it made me ponder (partly because of the age ranges of participants) how much is innate or natural talent and how much is a learned, and perfected, skill or technique. I think most sports will be a mixture of each and of course, at that level be down to years of hard work, dedication and training. The age in which you "peak" at some sports suggests they need to be taken up in childhood while others, I think you wouldnt generally start until a later age. (I'm thinking something like gymnastics v weightlifting, for example)
But possibly more controversially , would it be easier to get into a national team of a more niche sport, because there are fewer competitors...or harder because there are less opportunities to compete at a high level? Or would you not have a national team if no one met the required standard?