In this article we are going to list the 5 countries that produce the best athletes in the world. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list please take a look at the 15 Countries that Produce the Best Athletes in the World.
5. Japan
Total gold medals in last 3 Olympics: 46
Total silver medals in last 3 Olympics: 36
Total bronze medals in last 3 Olympics: 55
You might be noticing a trend in our list that countries which have advanced economies and are relatively wealthy with high populations rank higher on our list, as these two factors are the most important in providing a platform for natural talent to be discovered and developed. The culture in Japan also plays a major role in Japan’s success in athletics.
4. Great Britain
Total gold medals in last 3 Olympics: 78
Total silver medals in last 3 Olympics: 61
Total bronze medals in last 3 Olympics: 57
Great Britain has always produced amazing athletes, and has also excelled in several different popular international team sports such as football, rugby and cricket. In the 2012 Summer Olympics which it hosted, Great Britain came in third in the Olympics table, cementing its position as one of the countries that produce the best athletes in the world.
3. Russia
Total gold medals in last 3 Olympics: 57
Total silver medals in last 3 Olympics: 66
Total bronze medals in last 3 Olympics: 70
When the Soviet Union existed, the battle in athletic supremacy was been the Soviet Union and the U.S., but Russia has fallen down the pecking order since. A state-run doping program covered up hundreds of positive results across various sports, which resulted in athletes from the country not being allowed to compete under the Russian flag. The current invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which has resulted in the country being ostracized from most competitions including the FIFA World Cup, may see the country’s athletic supremacy fall even further in the coming years.
2. China
Total gold medals in last 3 Olympics: 103
Total silver medals in last 3 Olympics: 81
Total bronze medals in last 3 Olympics: 67
According to Bloomberg, India’s population overtook China’s in 2023, but for decades, China was the most populous country in the world. Having the largest pool for athletes in the world has resulted in a major advantage for the nation, which has been supplemented by extensive investment in facilities and schemes to discover and encourage athletes, all of which has resulted in China being particularly successful in various sporting events. Surprisingly, in most global sports such as football, China is nowhere near the top teams right now.
1. United States of America
Total gold medals in last 3 Olympics: 132
Total silver medals in last 3 Olympics: 105
Total bronze medals in last 3 Olympics: 101
Easily topping the list of the 15 countries that produce the best athletes in the world is the United States of America, which has the highest number of gold, silver and bronze medals in the world in the last 3 Olympics. The U.S. has a population of over 330 million people and is currently, and has been for the past century, the richest nation in the entire world, both of which combined result in a higher pool of talent and the best facilities to train top talent while also attracting top coaches from other countries.
An interesting study shows that American women earn more medals than men, making up 60% of the total composition, mainly because of a law in the country that requires equal funding to be provided to women’s sports by colleges, while the culture in the nation encourages competitiveness all of which have contributed to making the U.S. the best country for athletes.
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