Host gets the most: Here's a surefire way to lift your Olympic medal count

 

A look at the count of gold, silver, and bronze shows that the host country gets a significant boost, one that persists in subsequent games

Hosting an Olympic Games is an economic disaster, even in non-pandemic times. After more than a century and over 50 installments, there are enough case studies to conclude that the home nation is invariably the biggest loser from the world’s largest sporting event.

Except in the medal tally.

A look at the count of gold, silver, and bronze shows that the host country gets a significant boost, one that persists in subsequent games.

Japan’s incredible haul for Tokyo 2020, with 27 gold medals, puts it third behind the U.S. and China. Significantly, it captured the top prize in 7.9% of all events on offer this past fortnight. That compares with 3.9% in Rio 2016 and 2.3% for London 2012. Rankings, by tradition, are based on first prizes. This year, the U.S. topped the tally with 39 gold and a total of 113, ahead of China at 38 and 88, respectively. Japan’s 58 overall rounded out the nation’s most successful games.

This isn’t a one-time phenomenon. An analysis of all Summer Olympics held from 1992 through 2021 shows that the single most powerful driver of the medal tally, particularly gold, is hosting the event, and how many years since a country last did it. We start from the Barcelona games because they were the first after the end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union — a sporting powerhouse — was broken into numerous independent states, including Russia, that are collectively and individually weaker, making comparison with earlier editions invalid.

Doubtless there are numerous contributors to performance, including institutionalized support for athletic programs, access to facilities and coaching, and illegal, performance-enhancing drugs. But the data indicate that the best way to boost results is to enjoy the home-ground advantage.