When did we start using total medal count as the Olympic overall standing?

Question

I looked around various other media outlets such as BBC and they use total gold medal count as the overall standing. Apparently, that's what IOC use as well, so why do we use it and when did this practice start?

For example. If US has 10 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze while Russia has 11 gold 9 silver and 9 bronze. In US media report, US would be #1 with total of 30 medals vs 29 while in other coutries report, Russia would be #1 with 11 vs 10.

Answer 1

It should be total medal count, how many team sports have you seen the chinese defeat the US at?

The chinese have placed emphasis on individual sports and have an indoctrination program in place to take in children when they are about 3 years old to verse them in such sports as Table tennis, badmitton, gymnastics, and diving.  Which they did well at thats where they won the most golds.

The US on the other hand places more emphasis on team sports - and rightfully so because would you really blame a quarterback turning down a multi million dollar contract so he could throw the javelin instead of a football?  Football isnt even an olympic sport, and good thing for the world it isnt.  heh  We have done exceptionally well in team sports this olympics, but you only win one medal for it even if you have two, five, or 10 players on it.

So yeah if the world wants to claim the US is weak because we dont excel at ping pong, and badmitton and recruiting 4 year old gymnastic phenoms - taking them out of their homes and families - then so be it.  lol  We will stick to our big football contracts.

Answer 2

Yahoo being U.S based does it too. It should be gold first. The largest gold haul should always be first in the medals tally.

Answer 3

Appeasement for Americans

it started when Americans are down in Gold Medals

but up in Total medals

simple aint it

I just don't get the obsession over the medal count

Answer 4

When "we" started winning more total medals than gold medals.

Answer 5

officially it is the total no. of gold medals won by a country that is used to rank the nations

Answer 6

"We" don't use total medal count.

You already answered the question:  the "media", particularly US media, use it...

Answer 7

since china started kicking the US's behind

Answer 8

i have noticed this as well. IOC uses total gold metal count, and if it is tied, only then will they look at the silver and maybe bronze medals. according to your example, Russia would be first.

i guess they want the US to look good...