Elite sport is based on selection. The best from the best. The rest are not good enough. Or at least not yet.
Like Russian dolls, there are leagues within leagues, echelons stacked one on top of each with its own criteria. Each with its own microcosm of performance, expectation, and status. It works for some people and not so well for others.
But it’s not a design fault, it’s a design feature.
The challenge is not to compromise the edges of competitive sports but to be brave enough to design something different.