Why the richest countries get the most medals such as China, Japan,U.S. Australia, Germany, Russia etc?

Question

The thing about being an athlete it depends on you. It's not like we're doing who has the best modern technology.

I wonder how the other countries celebrate their succes if they only get like less than 15 metals. Because the U.S says Kerrie walsch this, michael phelps this, kobe this and stuff. and we usually kill at the olympics..

Answer 1

maybe it has something to do with lifestyle of athletes like food, training, massage, better sportswear and gears, compared to poorer countries where life is harder. rich countries can afford coaches for a wider variety of sports.

i've read from the papers (from the recount of a chinese weight lifter) that rich parents in the city can afford to send their children for "cooler" sports like tennis, diving and basketball, but parents from the country side can only afford to train their kids in sports like weightlifting and marathon.

Answer 2

cuz they can afford to send out the most athletes  

Answer 3

They way I understood it is... the Olympics aren't to see who can get the most "metals" but to unite the world under a friends sports competition... for fun, but yeah I guess the metals are cool too.Oh, and the "richest countries" you named aren't really the richest countries. If you're China and have 1/5 of the worlds population and you're a communist country... you're bound to have a few gold medalists.

Answer 4

how did you name all those countries but miss out britain, we're richer than russia and australia and came Fourth in the medal table

Answer 5

well its actually based on where their from. some countries got their first olympic medal in china. some countries just dont have the resources 2 help their athletes train. in some ways u can kinda say money plays a role in it

Answer 6

Look, I guess the thing is that many of the countries that do well at the Olympics have large populations from which to pool athletes...  

Richer countries can obviously afford to send more athletes and put the research into training etc so they can qualify for more spaces etc.

Some countries have very good programs to develop and support athletes and some countries have sport more ingrained in their cultures - you do not see people in nations where it snows for half a year doing well in swimming - what type of Scandanvian is going to go to the pool and train every morning when it is snowing and dark for the good part of the day in Winter...?  How many Japanese competitors do you see in equestrian events - there is limited space to ride horses in Japan and it is not really part of their culture....

Another reason is that countries like the US and Australia have a lot of outdoor space and have weather that allows them to train...  

Another point is that those countries that are more desireable to live in (US, Australia etc) are where many people migrate to so many athletes from other nations immigrate to these countries and represent them or coach the next generation.

Many nations rejoice in the few medals they get because they are so rare and it is special for them.

Irregardless, for many athletes, just getting to the Olympics is the highlight of their lives and they are so thankful for the experience - that is one of the best things about watching it all.

Answer 7

its just that they sent more athletes

Answer 8

The rich countries do not always achieve success in sports. Eg Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Austria (1S,2B -13th highest GDP per capita in the world), Hong Kong, Kuwait

Neither do high population countries e.g. India (1G 2 B), Pakistan (0), Bangladesh (o), Philippines (0)

Some poor countries have done really well: E.g Kenya, Ethiopia, Jamaica, North Korea

Generally rich countries do better as their population have more time for sports. Also poor countries, despite huge populations, are so busy earning a living that sports is a luxury not available to most.

Some sports are almost exclusively for the higher income groups e.g. equestrian, yachting and if you are not rich, you will have limited opportunities to participate.

For the record, China and Russia are not rich countries. Hats off to those countries who are poor but have rich sporting traditions. Eg,  China, Russia, Kenya, Ethipia, Cuba, Belarus, Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina, Kazakhtan, Geogia, Greece etc

Some countries are rich but have strong sporting traditions: USA, Australia, Germany

The best are the ones who are poor AND have a small population but consistently do well in sports:

Cuba, Jamaica, Romania