At theopening ceremonial of each Olympics , the U.S. delegation spill out in a seemingly eternal stream of cheerful athletes , grinning and waving at the bunch . They ’re a gay , good - natured luck , to be certain , but there are so very many of them .
And the U.S. is n’t the only country that seems to take up an unspeakable lot of real estate in the core of the stadium . In contrast are national relegating where just a few folks are there to represent their country . In even more extreme case , only a solitary athlete is present to beckon his or her nation ’s signal flag , alone in that constituent of the parade of nations .
Olympian personal organizer shoot for a quarry number of athletes . For example , in athletic competition ( aka the track and field events ) , for example , the goal is about 2,000 . A Carry Nation may introduce up to three athlete and have one jock in reservation , provided those athletes measure up to predetermined criterion in upshot okay by the applicable International Sports Federation ( IF ) [ source : The Telegraph ] . If no one in a state achieves those criterion , its National Olympic Committee ( NOC ) can petition to have its sound athletes compete in one result each . The IF technical official make the call . Obviously , it does n’t always happen .
Of naturally , the larger the Carry Amelia Moore Nation , the larger the puddle its NOC has to pull from – and chances are good the vast legal age of the athletes it transmit stipulate outright . So it make sensation that those countries would have big mission . That being said , there ’s a minute of a gadget . More on that next .
Athletes per Nation
The first consequence is that the secret plan are finite ; they take to the woods for 16 days . It ’s not realistic to permit too many participants into the field , since the overloaded competitor would be unsufferable to thrust in . The field must be weed before athletes are admitted to the games . That being said , the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) nurture a " sportsman for All " nonesuch , which is one of three main tenets of its concept of Olympism . The IOC negociate with each country ’s National Olympic Committee ( NOC ) to decide how many participants can compete .
So even prosperous nations with loads of Olympic - calibre jock have limits so as to allow poor countries with more diminutive pool of dependent athlete the chance to compete [ source : Bernard and Busse ] . Sport for All , in essence , means that all multitude , regardless of creed , colour or gender , should be receive within the international world of athletic contest and share in the benefits of camaraderie and mutual respect .
Now , it ’s a yield that the host area typically has an advantage – they ’ll gain ground about 2 percent more medals just for having the games on their turf . Reasons for this benefit include reduce traveling costs , hometown enthusiasm and locale that cater more specifically to their athlete ' pauperization . And if the Olympics are intemperately boycott , that success can jump to almost 20 percent [ reference : Bernard and Busse ] .
But let ’s dig deeper . Apart from how many athletes per country encircle the stadium during the curtain raising ceremonies – and how wealthy or impoverished their Nation are – what ’s another way to view the succeeder of those jock and the state they lay out ?
Medals per Capita
Athletes from smaller , and in some cases , less wealthy , nations discover themselves on top of the rostrum , too . or else of laud the act of overall medals , rent ’s debate further the per capita count .
For starters , China has a vast populationof more than a billion . The United States is for sure more diminutive in terms of telephone number , but still pretty far up the rung at more than 300 million . In 2002 , at the Salt Lake City games , the U.S. – then with a universe of about 290 million citizen – garnered one palm per 8.5 million mass with its second - place spot of 34 full medals . Germany , in first place with 36 medals , bring in one medal for every 2.3 million Germans ( 2002 population of 83 million ) . On the other manus , Norway , with a population of just 4.2 million masses , collect 25 decoration – or one medallion per closely to 176,000 citizen [ source : Culpepper ] . That ’s a good deal more sterling strenuosity , in the sort of gold , ash grey and bronze .
view too , the Bahamas at the Athens 2004 games . Not a lot of medals amount home , sure , but it was one medallion for roughly 150,000 citizen . Per capita podium ranking : Australia came in 2nd ; Cuba hail in third . How did the U.S. office in this particular race ? Came in 40th . China ? 73rd [ germ : Culpepper ] . Ouch . Not so close to the overall athletic grandeur now , are we Guy ?
I ’ve always felt my essence go out to all those sole jock in the parade of nations , accompanied by a couple of coaches or compatriot , but for all aim and purposes , alone in representing their nation . The only one present to carry their Carry Nation ’s flag . But they ’re so lofty , so gleeful to be there . It ’s enough to make any spectator ’s heart dandy for their delight and self-regard .
