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That is indeed a great visualisation of some not-very-interesting data. The only interesting point is the way that the host countries dominated the medal ranki
by hugh 18y ago
That is indeed a great visualisation of some not-very-interesting data.
The only interesting point is the way that the host countries dominated the medal rankings for the first few decades. At the St Louis Olympics practically all the medals were taken home by US-based athletes.
Of course, it is no credit whatsoever to a country to take home medals at the Olympic games. I'm from Australia, a country which punches far above its weight in the Olympic games, but that's only because we have a taxpayer-funded National Institute of Sport to train the athletes (and are, to my understanding, the only non-Communist country to have one).
- ChaitanyaSai 18y agoNo, there is some interesting data. The geo-politics embedded in it show up really well. East, west germany reunifying, Soviet Union disintegrating, the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott by the Americans, the back-at-you boycott in 84 by the Soviets, and Brazil becoming a force (as their economy strengthened perhaps?). Edit: Also, Japan's absence from the '48 edition after the second world war. Fun going from the map to Wikipedia to find out the reason for some major perturbations.
- pchristensen 18y agothe only non-Communist country to have one Is that why Cuba has so many medals starting in the 60s?