Another Olympic games is on now. Athletes are running, jumping, diving, riding, leaping, walking, sprinting, performing before the entire world as an audience. Somehow, you realize, this is it ! Even the most cynical, the most weary, the most disinterested people or countries wake up & begin to savor the moment.
There is nowhere to hide for anyone. You cannot compete overnight ! Years of preparation and investment & training systems come to the fore. Either you are good enough to be counted or you miss the cut. For a very long time, a few countries ruled the roost. With the changes on the global stage, rankings did too !
Now, in the 29 Summer Olympics between 1896 to 2022. the USA leads with 2629 medals, Soviet Union 1010, Great Britain 916, France 751, West Germany 655 & China 636 . With history changing after World Wars I & II, the Olympics is a story of the rise and dominance of the West which is being challenged as years go by.
After Paris 2024, USA has hosted the Olympics 4 times, France (incl 2024) & Great Britain 3 times each, Japan, Greece, Australia & West Germany 2 times each. 12 other countries have hosted the Olympics at least once. That the hosting of the games has a direct correlation with the medals is therefore a no-brainer.
China joined Olympic movement in 1952. After a break between 1956-1980, they rejoined in 1984 & have got 636 medals in 12 games. It's GDP was just $ 54 in 1952 & $ 302 in 1984 but rose to $ 13136 in 2024 . So, it is fair to say that China has started making waves in Olympic games at the same time as their GDP growth did. India, on the other hand has participated in 25 Olympic games for 35 medals. The per capita income of India was $ 83 in 1960 rising up to $ 2411 in 2022. No secrets therefore, in the fact that performance at the world-class event like the Olympics has much to do with overall economics and prosperity. Looks like there is time yet!
With The Second Opinion and Virtual Board, we have been trying to set better standards by providing world class solutions for an entire spectrum of industry and businesses. Let us know that to dream of better things we have to spend endless hours of working and strategic planning, without any compromises whatsoever !!
Comments