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Safe at home
Host nations continue to prosper in Olympics
Latest: Sunday October 01, 2000 08:49 PM
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Ian Thorpe got the Aussies off to a fast start in the medal run. Nick Wilson/Allsport |
By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com
The home country once again prospered in the Olympics, a trend that dates back to the first modern Olympiad of 1896.
The Australians made excellent use of their home-country advantage this year and in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, setting career highs in medals each time.
In 1956, Australia hauled in 35 medals. It wouldn't surpass that total until 1996 (41). The Aussies broke new ground this year in Sydney, accounting for 58 medals (16 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze).
In the 27 Olympiads, the home country has finished first in the medal count 11 times. The only host nations to finish out of the top 10 were Mexico (tied 14th) in 1968 and Canada (13th) in 1976.
Here are some other tidbits about host countries' performances as well as a complete list of medal counts for host nations:
| Home Cookin' |
|---|
| Host nations in the medal count: |
| Place |
No. |
| First |
11 |
| Top 5 |
18 |
| Top 10 |
22 |
| Other |
2 |
| |
| |
Mexico won nine medals in 1968, only 17 since.
Belgium compiled 35 medals in 1920 as the host country, but has only won 63 total medals since then. It wasn't until 1924 that the Olympics blossomed into a major event, as participation jumped from 29 countries in 1920 to 44 countries in '24. (In 1896, for example, only 245 athletes from 14 nations competed.) That's a big reason why the numbers from the early years are so skewed for the home teams.
In 1904, only 10 other countries participated as the U.S. won 214 medals.
Spain is a perfect example of how the home country can step up for its own Games. Spain won a grand total of four medals in 1988, and the most it had ever won was six in 1980. But in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain came up with 22 medals. That carried over into the '96 Games (17 medals) and 2000 (11).
Holland hauled in 19 medals in 1928 but couldn't match that total again until '96, when there were significantly more events.
| Olympiad |
Home
country |
Medals
(ranking) |
Most Medals,
Other Olympiads |
| XXVII, 2000 |
Australia |
58 (fourth) |
41, 1996 |
| XXVI, 1996 |
United States |
101 (first) |
214, 1904* |
| XXV, 1992 |
Spain |
22 (10th) |
17, 1996 |
| XXIV, 1988 |
S. Korea |
33 (sixth) |
29, 1992 |
| XXIII, 1984 |
U.S. |
174 (first) |
214, 1904 |
| XXII, 1980 |
U.S.S.R. |
195 (first) |
132, 1988 |
| XXI, 1976 |
Canada |
11 (13th) |
44, 1984 |
| XX, 1972 |
Germany |
106 (first)** |
142, 1988** |
| XIX, 1968 |
Mexico |
9 (Tied 14th) |
6, 1984, 2000 |
| XVIII, 1964 |
Japan |
29 (fourth) |
32, 1984 |
| XVII, 1960 |
Italy |
36 (fourth) |
36, 1932 |
| XVI, 1956 |
Australia |
35 (third) |
58, 2000* |
| XV, 1952 |
Finland |
22 (fifth) |
34, 1920 |
| XIV, 1948 |
G. Britain |
23 (sixth) |
146, 1908* |
| XI, 1936 |
Germany |
89 (first) |
142, 1988** |
| X, 1932 |
U.S. |
103 (first) |
214, 1904* |
| IX, 1928 |
Holland |
19 (Tied 7th) |
25, 2000 |
| VIII, 1924 |
France |
38 (second) |
66, 1900* |
| VII, 1920 |
Belgium |
35 (fifth) |
13, 1924 |
| V, 1912 |
Sweden |
64 (first) |
64, 1920 |
| IV, 1908 |
G. Britain |
146 (first) |
42, 1920 |
| III, 1904 |
U.S. |
214 (first) |
174, 1984* |
| II, 1900 |
France |
66 (first) |
40, 1920 |
| I, 1896 |
Greece |
45 (first) |
13, 2000 |
* Was also the host country that year
** Combined East and West Germany
NOTE: Olympiads VI, XII and XIII were not held because of war. |
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