The Financial Times has a cool Olympic feature, where they run a formula for how many medals countries should get — based on things like historical performance, per capita GDP, and host-country advantage. Then they compare that against actual performance in the Games.
So, who’s exceeding expectations so far? China has 14 more medals than the model predicts. Japan is the second-biggest over-achiever (12 “over par”), followed by Great Britain (seven).
The U.S. is performing just a smidge better than its history and demographics would suggest.
The biggest disappointment is Spain, with only three medals. Spain just can’t catch a break these days; the model says they should have 10 by now.
But things aren’t great, either, in the more economically successful part of the eurozone. They can’t be too happy in Germany, where the model shows they are more than four medals short.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
