GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Why must a research record identify the exact competition and event category?
Because competition, discipline, and event category tell you what kind of event the record describes. A matching participant name alone is not enough to merge records across formats.
For Bettors and cappers interpreting sports-record evidence · Updated
Names are not the whole event identity
A participant may appear in records from different competitions or categories. The same name does not establish that two records refer to the same discipline or event type. Keep the competition and category with the record you are interpreting.
The catalog asks for the exact competition, discipline, and event category. Each part narrows what the record means; dropping one can make distinct events look interchangeable.
Compare like with like
Before combining records, check that their competition and discipline align and that the category is the one relevant to the question. If a field is missing, say so rather than choosing the most familiar category.
This is an evidence-labeling rule, not a claim that every sport or event has complete category data in BSD. The question prompt does not guarantee that the exact classification is available.
Keep the source’s event label
Use the competition’s documented name and category when the source supplies them. If the source uses a broad label, preserve that breadth. Do not silently rewrite it into a more specific competition or discipline.
Hypothetical category mismatch
In a fictional dataset, the same participant name appears in two records with different competition or discipline labels. Keep the records separate until the event identity is confirmed; name similarity alone does not make them one category.
Related questions
Can I merge records because the participant name matches?
No. Confirm the competition, discipline, and event category before treating records as comparable.
What if the category is missing?
Keep the category unknown. Do not infer it from a participant name or another event record.