| Rank | Country | GGold | SSilver | BBronze | TotalTotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USUnited States | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| 2 | CHNChina | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| 7 | GBGreat Britain | 14 | 22 | 29 | 65 |
| 5 | FRAFrance | 16 | 26 | 22 | 64 |
| 4 | AUSAustralia | 18 | 19 | 16 | 53 |
Beyond the Medal Count: A Comprehensive Analysis of Olympic Success at Paris 2024
Web Scraping Medals Tally Data
The begin our analysis we first need to obtain total medal tally for each country. The data can be scraped from a reliable website for the same. We have obtained our data from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website. The extracted data set contains information on 205 National Olympic Committees (NOC) including the Refugee Olympic Committee (ROC). The data set excludes the Individual Neural Athletes from Russia and Belarus due to not representing any of the competing NOCs.
On inspecting the obtained data in Table 1 we can observe that we need to tidy our headers and separate IOC code’s from country name’s in the table for better comprehension. We can scrape the same table again to retrieve just the country names and IOC codes seperately and update the required columns.
We also don’t need the rank column and thus, we can remove it from our tidy data set. The code chunk below tidies up our scrapped data for further analysis:
| Country | Gold Medals | Silver Medals | Bronze Medals | Total Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| China | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| Great Britain | 14 | 22 | 29 | 65 |
| France | 16 | 26 | 22 | 64 |
| Australia | 18 | 19 | 16 | 53 |
Table 2 shows the list of top 5 countries respectively, by the total count of medal won.
Top 10 Countries by Gold Medal Count
Table 3 below shows the top 10 countries by the count of gold medals won. We can observe that the United States of America (USA) & People’s Republic of China (CHN) both secured 40 gold medal each. However, as observed in Table 2, USA, won more medals in total including Silver & Bronze than CHN.
| Country | Gold Medals |
|---|---|
| United States | 40 |
| China | 40 |
| Japan | 20 |
| Australia | 18 |
| France | 16 |
| Netherlands | 15 |
| Great Britain | 14 |
| South Korea | 13 |
| Italy | 12 |
| Germany | 12 |
Top 10 Countries by Medals per Capita
| Country | Total Population (in 2023) |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | NA |
| South Korea | NA |
| Iran | NA |
| Czech Republic | NA |
| Chinese Taipei | NA |
| Hong Kong | NA |
| Egypt | NA |
| St Lucia | NA |
| Turkey | NA |
| North Korea | NA |
| Kyrgyzstan | NA |
| Cape Verde | NA |
| Ivory Coast | NA |
| Slovakia | NA |
On inspecting Table 4 we can observe that a group of countries do not have a population figure. This is because the name of countries in the BBC data does not match the World Development Indicators data. We can resolve the issue by changing the name of the countries in either of the data sets to match the other one.
A limitation of the World Development Indicators data maintained by the World Bank is that Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) is not listed as a separate country. Thus, this observation will have to omitted from our data.
| Country | Medals per Capita |
|---|---|
| Dominica | 73040 |
| St. Lucia | 180251 |
| New Zealand | 522310 |
| Bahrain | 742755 |
| Slovenia | 1060469 |
| Netherlands | 1191966 |
| Georgia | 1253455 |
| Ireland | 1315596 |
| Norway | 1379899 |
| Australia | 1479919 |
According to Table 5, Dominica leads the list with 73,040 people per medal among the top 10 countries competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. This means that for every group of 73,040 people in Grenada’s population, there was one Olympic gold medal won by Grenadian athletes.
Alternative Frameworks for Assessing Country Performance in the Olympics
Performance Indicators Based on Athlete Performance
Weighted Medal Count: A Balanced Approach to Olympic Rankings
A more equitable approach to measuring a country’s performance in the Olympics involves assigning different weights to Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, then calculating the Weighted Total of Medals won by each country. This method provides a more balanced evaluation of success by recognizing the varying levels of achievement associated with each type of medal. The weights assigned to each medal for this analysis are as follows:
Gold Medal: 3 points
Silver Medal: 2 points
Bronze Medal: 1 point
| Country | Weighted Total Points |
|---|---|
| United States | 250 |
| China | 198 |
| France | 122 |
| United Kingdom | 115 |
| Australia | 108 |
| Japan | 97 |
| Italy | 77 |
| Netherlands | 71 |
| Germany | 70 |
| Korea, Rep. | 67 |
According to Table 6, United States of America dominated the Paris 2024 Olympics with a total of 250 points followed by China with 198 points.
Medals per Athlete: Measuring Efficiency in Olympic Success
This approach evaluates the overall efficiency of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) by determining the ratio of athletes to total medals secured by each participating nation. This metric helps to highlight nations that achieve high levels of success despite having smaller teams, as well as those that may not maximize the potential of larger delegations.
| Country | Team Efficiency (in %) |
|---|---|
| St. Lucia | 50 |
| Korea, Dem. People’s Rep. | 43 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 38 |
| Grenada | 33 |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 29 |
| Bahrain | 29 |
| Armenia | 27 |
| Georgia | 25 |
| Dominica | 25 |
| Albania | 25 |
| China | 23 |
| Korea, Rep. | 22 |
| Kosovo | 22 |
| Tajikistan | 21 |
| United States | 21 |
From the analysis presented in Table 7, we can infer that St. Lucia demonstrated high efficiency in the Olympics, with 50% of their team securing medals. This is a notable achievement, reflecting a strong performance relative to their team size. Following closely is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with 43% of their team winning medals. This indicates that both countries were highly effective in translating their Olympic participation into medal success, showcasing exceptional performance relative to their teams.
Performance Indicators Based on Economic Indicators
Investment in Education vs. Olympic Medal Success: A Comparative Analysis
Some analysts consider “Medals per GDP” as an alternative and intriguing metric for measuring and ranking countries’ performance in the Olympics. While this approach offers a unique perspective by relating economic strength to athletic success, a more insightful alternative could involve analyzing medals won relative to a country’s investment in education. This perspective suggests that a nation’s commitment to education, which often includes physical education and sports programs, may correlate with its Olympic success.
A more precise analysis would focus specifically on a country’s expenditure on sports. However, due to the lack of reliable and consistent data on sports-related spending across nations, using overall education expenditure serves as a valuable proxy. By comparing Olympic performance to education investment, this method explores the idea that nations prioritizing educational development might also foster a stronger foundation for athletic achievement, leading to more Olympic success.
We have obtained data on education expenditure for the past four years from the World Development Indicators (WDI) package. To identify missing values, we conducted an initial examination of the data using as seen in Figure 1 . The analysis revealed that the year 2020 has the most complete set of observations. Therefore, we will use the 2020 data to calculate the education expense per medal for each country. This approach allows us to leverage the most robust dataset available for a more accurate analysis of the relationship between education investment and Olympic success.
| Country | Education Expense per Medal (in Millions US$) |
|---|---|
| Dominica | 22 |
| St. Lucia | 27 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 75 |
| Armenia | 81 |
| Georgia | 95 |
| Jamaica | 126 |
| Moldova | 139 |
| Albania | 210 |
| Bahrain | 213 |
| Tajikistan | 227 |
From Table 8, we can observe that Dominica only spent US $22 million per medal i.e., the least spent by any country that participated and won a medal in the Olympics. This figure can be interpreted as a quasi-return on investment.
It’s important to acknowledge that approaches based on per-capita counts can be sensitive to the number of observations and may disproportionately favor countries with smaller populations. This can skew the evaluation, making smaller nations appear more successful relative to their size, even if their overall medal count is low.
Adjusted Per-Capita Medal Count
A more comprehensive approach to measuring the performance of countries by accounting for population size involves considering the weighted total of medals rather than just the total count of gold medals. This method involves assigning different weights to Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals and then calculating the weighted total as done previously in Table 6. By dividing this weighted total by the country’s population, we can obtain a more nuanced metric that adjusts for both the quality of the medals won and the size of the population. This approach provides a more equitable comparison of Olympic success across nations with varying population sizes.
| Country | Medals per Capita |
|---|---|
| Dominica | 24347 |
| St. Lucia | 36050 |
| Grenada | 63092 |
| New Zealand | 111130 |
| Bahrain | 165057 |
| Georgia | 235023 |
| Australia | 246653 |
| Netherlands | 251824 |
| Hungary | 252365 |
| Jamaica | 256868 |
From the analysis in Table 9, we can see that Dominica continues to lead as the top-performing country when considering the weighted per-capita medal count. However, the population adjustment has significantly impacted the rankings compared to those observed in Table 6. Specifically, Dominica’s strong performance is still evident, but the weighting has led to a substantial decrease in its relative position when adjusted for population size. Additionally, the rankings for second and third place have shifted compared to the previous table, reflecting the changes in performance when incorporating the weight-adjusted metric. This highlights how the weighted per-capita approach provides a different perspective on Olympic success by accounting for both the quality of medals and population size.
Performance Indicators Based on Gender
Paris 2024 Olympics made history by becoming the first ever Olympic Games hosted in modern history to achieve gender parity. Closing the gender gap translates to more growth, innovation and resilience for countries as mentioned by the World Economic Forum.
Proportion of Female Athletes Relative to Medals Won
This measure aims to evaluate the efficiency of female athletes in each competing nation by estimating the percentage of medals won by female athletes. It provides insight into how effectively female athletes contribute to a nation’s overall Olympic success. By analyzing this proportion, we can assess the impact of female athletes on medal counts and compare performance across nations with varying levels of female participation.
| Country | Female Medalists | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 7 | 100 |
| Kosovo | 2 | 100 |
| Saint Lucia | 2 | 100 |
| Dominica | 1 | 100 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 100 |
| Panama | 1 | 100 |
| Türkiye | 5 | 83 |
| Croatia | 4 | 80 |
| DPR Korea | 3 | 75 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 75 |
| Hong Kong, China | 3 | 75 |
| South Africa | 3 | 75 |
| New Zealand | 7 | 70 |
| Netherlands | 12 | 67 |
| Chinese Taipei | 4 | 67 |
From the data in Table 10, we can observe that in countries such as Poland, Kosovo, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Mongolia, and Panama, all the athletes who secured medals were female. This highlights that these nations achieved their medal success exclusively through female athletes, reflecting strong performances and contributions from women in these countries’ Olympic achievements.
Top and Bottom Contributors to Gender Parity at the Paris 2024 Olympic
From Figure 2 we can observe that Guam, Nicaragua & Kosovo made the highest contribution by proportion in achieving Gender Parity in Paris 2024 Olympics. On the other hand, countries like South Sudan, Qatar & Mali were some of the worst contributors.
Conclusion
The analysis of the 2024 Paris Olympics data reveals intriguing insights into how various countries performed based on multiple frameworks beyond just medal counts. While the United States and China dominated the total and gold medal counts, alternative methods for assessing Olympic success—such as medals per capita, weighted medal counts, and efficiency based on the number of athletes—paint a more nuanced picture. Smaller nations like Dominica and St. Lucia emerged as top performers when population size and medal efficiency were taken into account, showcasing how smaller teams can achieve high levels of success relative to their size.
Additionally, the inclusion of economic and social factors, such as education expenditure per medal and gender parity, highlights the complexity behind Olympic success. Countries like Dominica spent the least on education per medal, indicating a high return on investment, while nations like Poland and Kosovo achieved gender parity by securing medals solely through female athletes.
These alternative frameworks provide deeper insights into Olympic performance, demonstrating that success at the Olympics is not merely about winning the most medals, but also about maximizing efficiency, investing in long-term growth through education and sports, and fostering equal opportunities for all athletes. The Paris 2024 Olympics, in particular, marked a historic achievement in gender equality, further underscoring the importance of inclusive participation in global sporting events.