Every four years, the world’s focus turns to the Olympic Games, which unsurprisingly makes it one of the most-watched sporting events globally.
Audience numbers can vary, but global viewership figures are sky-high as we all tune in to see who will pick up the coveted Olympic medals.
A staggering 5 billion people, representing 84% of the potential global audience worldwide, followed the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with over three billion people tuning into the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
That was slightly less than the 3.6 billion who watched the Rio Olympics in 2016, but figures tend to be higher when the games are held in a time zone that aligns well with major TV markets.
The availability of coverage across various platforms, such as online streaming and social media, has also made it easier for people to watch their favourite sports and cheer on their countries.
More specifically, they get to cheer on their athletes, who have spent their lives training for that elusive prize – an Olympic medal.
However, some countries appear to win far more medals than others, which makes me wonder why Team USA, alongside China, takes the bulk of the glory every four years.
To work out that answer, we first have to take a quick look at the numbers.
How Many Athletes Attend The Olympics?
Every four years, a couple of extra sports are added to the rota, which means that the number of athletes attending the games increases slightly.
In Paris for the Summer Olympics in 2024, 10,714 athletes from 204 nations competed across 32 sports with 339 medal events.
For Tokyo 2020, approximately 11,656 athletes competed in 33 sports with 339 events.
Four years earlier, in Rio 2016, that number was around 11,238 athletes in 28 sports with 306 events.
In London 2012, approximately 10,768 athletes battled it out in 302 events across 26 sports.
How Many Medals Are Given Out At The Olympics?
In both Paris and Tokyo, there were 339 events, which in turn means that there were 339 gold medals, 339 silver medals, and 400 bronze medals.
The higher number of bronze medals stems from the fact that Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Taekwondo and Karate awards two bronze medals in each weight category.
So, in total, there are 1,078 medals up for grabs at the Olympics.
That means the chances of an athlete winning a medal at Paris 2024 was 8.73%.
How Many Athletes Can A Country Send?
Each sport has its own qualification standards set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the respective International Sports Federations.
Athletes must meet these standards to qualify, and each country is limited by maximum quotas per sport.
For example, in athletics, a country can send a maximum of three athletes per event, provided all meet the qualification standards.
Countries that do not qualify any athletes in a sport may be allowed to send athletes through wild card entries to ensure global representation.
Countries with larger populations and significant investment in sports infrastructure and training, like the USA and China, tend to have more athletes who meet the qualification standards.
Summing up the maximum number across all these sports, keeping in mind that some sports have multiple events and categories, a large country with entrants in every event could potentially send over 500 athletes.
The exact number would depend on the qualification and selection processes, as well as the specific events available in that Olympic year.
For example, in the 2024 Paris Olympics, the United States sent a delegation of 594 athletes, which is one of the largest contingents.
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That is slightly less than the 613 at Tokyo and the 646 athletes they fielded for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In Atlanta, as the host nation, the U.S. had the privilege to field a larger team across many sports.
Most countries do not have the population that would allow them to find the maximum number of participants, who all meet the qualifying criteria for every single sport.
The bigger the country, the more athletes you can invariably send but it is limited ot the likes of United States, China, Russia, , Great Britain and Australia.
In the case of Team USA, they can conceivably send over 5% of all Olympic contenders, which increases their chances of winning medal above a smaller country who might only send 50 athletes.
That is also why they win so many Olympic medals.
Medal Count Table
Below is the number of total Olympic medals won by each country in the last three Olympic Games, including the number of Gold medals.
| Year | Country | Total Medals | Gold Medals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | USA | 126 | 40 |
| 2024 | China | 91 | 40 |
| 2024 | Great Britain | 65 | 14 |
| 2020 | USA | 113 | 39 |
| 2020 | China | 88 | 38 |
| 2020 | Japan | 58 | 27 |
| 2016 | USA | 121 | 46 |
| 2016 | Great Britain | 67 | 27 |
| 2016 | China | 70 | 26 |
| 2012 | USA | 104 | 46 |
| 2012 | China | 88 | 38 |
| 2012 | Great Britain | 65 | 29 |
| 2008 | China | 100 | 48 |
| 2008 | USA | 110 | 36 |
| 2008 | Russia | 72 | 23 |
| 2004 | USA | 101 | 36 |
| 2004 | China | 63 | 32 |
| 2004 | Russia | 92 | 27 |
Are Olympic Medals Gold?
Olympic gold medals are not made entirely of gold. They are primarily composed of silver and are coated with a thin layer of pure gold.
The current gold medals are required to be at least 92.5% silver and must contain a minimum of 6 grams of pure gold.
The weight and design of the medals can vary depending on the host country’s guidelines, but they typically weigh around 500 grams.
Therefore, the value of the gold medal lies not just in the materials used but also in the prestige and achievement it represents.
How Much Are Olympic Medals Worth?
Given current market values for silver and gold and the weight of each medal, the approximate monetary value of an Olympic gold medal is $795.50.
An Olympic silver medal weighs approximately 550 grams of pure silver and, at current prices, is worth around $423.50.
Sadly, there is almost no monetary value for a bronze medal which is typically made from copper and zinc.
Despite weighing the same as gold and silver medals, a bronze medal only costs $4.35 to make.
Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps & Simone Biles
Several athletes have distinguished themselves by winning a significant number of Olympic medals throughout their careers.
American swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history.
- Total Medals: 28
- Gold Medals: 23
- Silver Medals: 3
- Bronze Medals: 2
There are other Olympians with a staggering number of medals, such as Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18, and Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen, who won 15.
Other athletes dominated their sport across multiple Olympic Games but ended up with a lower medal count, such as Usain Bolt.
The Jamaican lit up track and field from 2008 to 2016, winning gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4×100 meters relay in Beijing, London, and Rio for a total of nine gold medals.
However, the Beijing 4×100 meter relay gold was later stripped due to a teammate’s doping violation, leaving Usain Bolt with eight gold medals.
One of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Simone Biles has a total of 11 Olympic medals across the 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics.
Total Medals
- 7 Gold medals
- 2 Silver medals
- 2 Bronze medals
By any measure, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was not her most successful tournament.
She encountered a mental block known as “the twisties,” a phenomenon where gymnasts lose their sense of spatial awareness while in the air, making it dangerous to perform complex aerial manoeuvres.
Due to concerns for her mental health and safety, Biles withdrew from several events, including the team final, individual all-around final, vault final, uneven bars final, and floor exercise final.
Despite this she still picked up a silver and bronze medal and was back in Paris to regain her crown.
Proving she is the greatest gymnast of all time she added Gold medals in the Team, All-around and Vault and a silver for her Floor Exercise.