I prefer to list by Total Medals, as it helps Canada more than any other country. Indeed it helps Canada improve its ranking by a whole 17 levels. The next country to have this benefit is Germany, but only by five ranks. For the record, the Olympic Committee orders by Gold, then Silver, then Bronze. This year, it makes no real difference as the United States won both measures. At the last Olympics, it was quite different. China was christened the champion by IIOC standards but NBC ratings showed US in the limelight for most total medals. The proper way to conduct a ranking like this is probably to weigh each medal by some factor that takes into account the additional difficulty of attaining top spot. The difference might be a lot as in the stratosphere, any movement is quite challenging.
Medal Table
The top six countries were the main participants in the Second World War; four are on the UN Security Council and the other two should probably be indicted as well. France is the only laggard by this measure (placing 8th) but it’s been in a sad state ever since Napoleon (and to say the French contributed to victory in WWII is a bit of an exaggeration). And something must be said for the United States, which defeated China resoundingly and took home 9 more gold medals than as predicted by Goldman Sachs. Stripping away home-field advantage the Chinese had (which according to GS, improves gold medal counts by a whopping 50%), it is still clear who the world leader is. It is a shame such a naturally talented, motivated, entrepreneurial and idealistic state is currently led by morons.
And there is something further to be said about the American culture of athletics that is neither obfuscated by governmental tinkering nor tunnel visioned solely on a number (of gold medals, that is). With that said, criticism of communist-style athletic gulags fails to take into account the difference in privilege amongst the countries and ignores the cult of athletics that America is guilty of as well. There is significant pressure placed on North American athletes too, which is why Hockey Canada ran an “It’s just a game” campaign. And the rewards, from Ivy League admissions to social validation, are enough to pump out aspiring, steroid pumping amphibians.
In a post-war world where pent up nationalism can only be expressed through some other form of interaction, the Olympics are a peaceful solution to a pervasive problem. In a replay of World War II, the victor nations again defeated Germany and Japan. If the Olympics is what we need to avoid irrational jingoism, then so be it.