Super Bowlrings andStanley Cupsare prized rewards for sporting excellence , but there ’s something extra particular about realise a gold medal at theOlympics . It demonstrates the pinnacle of athletic achievement on the macrocosm stage and an chance that can only be impound once every four years .
With the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics coiffure to commence on July 26 , data hubVisual Capitalistrecently compiled a list of the 20 countries that have make the most amber laurel wreath at both the Summer and Winter Games from 1896 to 2022 . Here ’s what they find , though bear in mind medal counts can vary somewhat depending on the seed . ( Visual Capitalist quote data from the International Olympic Committee . )
The Olympics' Top 20 Countries by Gold Medal Count
The United States is far and away on top of the leaderboard , with more than double the figure of gold ribbon than the now - defunct Soviet Union . But the USSR ’s ranking is impressive reach that their laurel wreath count come from just 18 Olympic Games hold between the fifties and 1990s . smoothing iron sharpens iron , or so the saying sound , and the tearing rivalry between Russia and the U.S. during these ten lead to political and socioeconomic posturing in athletics .
There ’s also a unaired correlation between funding for sports and medals earn . racetrack and field receives considerable financial support from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee ; the U.S. , in turn , has won 827 ribbon ( gold , silver , and bronze ) in that class alone . Swimming , another well - fund endeavor , has netted the U.S. 578 medals total .
That does n’t mean countries ca n’t make do without verification being written . In 2022 , Norway sack up 37 medallion despite notofferingany fiscal bonus for make headway athlete the way other countries do . ( Italy , for example , give $ 201,000 to gold medalists that year . )
But even deliver the goods nations can struggle . Despite America ’s success on the podium , the country hasnevermedaled in badminton , trampoline , handball , rhythmical gymnastics , or mesa lawn tennis . Maybe 2024 will be the year .
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