Top Medal Winners

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The USA leads the chart with 2,828 total medals. The record set by the Soviet Union still holds second place, with 1,204 total medals. Which is then followed closely by Germany, with 1,004 medals. Germany is then followed by Great Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, China, Russia, and the record of East Germany.

The winner medals themselves were originally solid gold but have been changed to gold-plated silver. Although, each gold medal has to still contain six grams of pure gold. The runner-ups get a silver metal, while third place gets a bronze medal. In 1948, certificates were introduced for athletes that place fourth, fifth, or sixth place. In 1984, the introduced victory diplomas for seventh and eighth place.

The idea of the Olympic Games have been around since the 17th century but the International Olympic Games that we are familiar with, started in 1896. 14 nations and 241 athletes were invited to Athens, Greece to participate.

Throughout the years, changes and alternations have happened to the Olympics Games. Like the addition of the Winter Games section in 1920. Also, the Paralympics in 1960. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee joined together. The latest addition is the Youth Games, created in 2010. Athletes between 14 and 18 are welcomed to participate.

Currently the Olympics has grown from 14 nations to 204 participating nations.

Although the Games are sometimes skeptical in their impact on an areas economic benefits, it has been said to be vastly positive for humanly causes. The Olympic Games are often seen as an extremely philanthropic way for countries to bond and create history. Here is an additional article with more information on the economical impact the Olympic Games can have on a country. It sums up the idea of how rarely do economies benefit from the Olympic Games, if not go into debt to repay the cost of being a host. People justify this by the camaraderie in brings between people and countries.