Which country boasts the best athletes on the planet? Well, it depends on who you ask – and how you measure success
As of this writing, the United States leads the medal count in the Tokyo Olympics. Or maybe it’s China. Or San Marino.
It all depends on how you choose to list the medals, and it’s surprisingly contentious. Let’s take the 2016 Olympics as an example. A British supporter would have preferred that the medals were listed in order of gold medals won – that put them in second place with 27 golds ahead of China in third 26. A fan of the Chinese would have been happier if credit was given to total medals, where their team finished with 70 – three ahead of Team GB’s 67. The media in the US tend to count total medals, whereas the rest of the world generally favors gold. Some would say it’s no coincidence that the US tends to do better in the latter method as it nearly always fields the largest number of athletes.
