Good point. I applied in Canada about a decade ago. I do remember they mentioned at that time that they had toned down the "excellence in athletics" category. They now merely required participation and demonstration of sportsman spirit. This struck me as quite a reasonable decision on the part of the selection committee.

On a separate note, the Rhodes selection process is extremely competitive. While I didn't get in, I felt that just the process of applying forced me to self-reflect on my capabilities and accomplishments. I ended up making some positive changes in my life as a direct result of what I learned during the application process - sounds like the YC application eh? Heh Heh!