ALL EYES ARE ON THE TOP 10 COUNTRIES WITH THE GREATEST NUMBER OF ACCUMULATED MEDALS. OF COURSE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OCCUPY THE FIRST PLACE IN THE CHARTS WITH THE 95 MEDALS COLLECTED. SECOND PLACE BELONGS TO CHINA WITH 57 MEDALS ALTOGETHER AND GREAT BRITAIN STAYS RIGHT AFTER THEM WITH ONLY 2 MEDALS LESS. RUSSIA CHASES NEXT, WITH A TOTAL OF 47 MEDALS, WHILE FRANCE AND GERMANY TIE AT SIXTH PLACE ( 32) RIGHT AFTER JAPAN (35). NEXT COME AUSTRALIA (27), ITALY (23) , KOREA ( 17) AND NETHERLANDS (15).
BUT HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THE DISREPANCY AMONG THE TOTAL NUMBER OF COMPETITORS REPRESENTING THEIR COUNTRIES? HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT U. S. IS BEING REPRESENTED BY 567 ATHLETES, CHINA BY 444, OR RUSSIA BY 286 WHILE OTHERS ARE PROUDLY REPRESENTED BY A FRACTION OF THESE NUMBERS. LET'S TAKE MALAYSIA, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO HAS 32 ATHLETES ONLY; OR UNITED ARAB EMIRATES WITH 13 ATHLETES. OBVIOUSLY, THERE ARE MANY FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE DECIDING THE REAL REASONS FOR THAT, BUT LET'S FOCUS ON THE POTENTIAL THESE COUNTRIES REALLY HAVE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE 95 U. S. MEDALS PER 567 ATHLETES CONTESTING IN THE 2016 OLYMPICS, YOU END UP WITH 16 % POTENTIAL THESE ATHLETES HAVE PRODUCED FOR THEIR COUNTRY. 14% POTENTIAL EARNED BELONGS TO BOTH GREAT BRITAIN ( 14.70%) AND RUSSIA (14.68%) WHILE CHINA SEIZES THE FIFTH PLACE WITH 12 %. DO YOU SEE HOW CHINA HAS LOST THEIR SECOND PLACE FROM ABOVE NOW?
THINKING ABOUT THESE NUMBERS MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOCUSING MERELY ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MEDALS COLLECTED. IT IS QUITE WEIGHTY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A CHALLENGE IT IS FOR JAMAICA WHOSE 57 SPORTSMEN HAVE TO CONTEST AGAINST 321 SPORTSMEN FROM CANADA, FOR INSTANCE; OR 62 NORWEGIANS WHO HAVE TO COMPETE AGAINST 313 SPANIARDS. THIS IS WHY I HAVE COME UP WITH THE TOP 10 COUNTRIES WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL IN THE 2016 OLYMPICS. THIS IS THE LIST AS OF AUGUST 18, 2016:
X. KENYA
IX. JAPAN
VIII. JAMAICA
VII. THAILAND
VI. UZBEKISTAN
V.CHINA
IV. RUSSIA
III. GREAT BRITAIN
II. U.S.
AND THE GOLD GOES TO ...
I. AZERBAIJAN