Why does the u.s. dominate the olympics

Basketball was added to the Summer Olympics in for men and in for women. And since then, the United States of America has owned the sport in all but one campaign. Apart from the I Moscow Games, which the USA decided to boycott, they have won a medal in basketball at the Olympics each and every time. The NBA is, of course, a big reason for that, but the most popular basketball league in the world is also slowly helping bring up other countries in this sport.

Since the sport was introduced at the Summer Olympics in , Japanese athletes have brought home medals in almost every edition. The country has bagged 84 medals in judo thanks to the 50 athletes it has sent to compete in this sport over the years. Judo is the only Olympic sport in which Japan has won more medals than any other nation.

That honour belonged to Sweden and Great Britain. The U. Based on its Olympic history and Tokyo outlook, it could be a while before the U. In seven Olympics with the sport involved, the U. Zhang offers the U. Its top finish was fifth place and came in that first appearance. Rhythmic gymnastics made its Olympic debut as an individual event in and added a team event in Mr Forrest says that countries that used to belong to the Soviet Union tend to have an advantage, because of the strong sports infrastructure that was established by communist regimes.

Commonwealth countries also tend to do better than expected compared to their size and wealth. Mr Forrest believes that's because Britain was a pioneer in developing sport as we know it today, and brought that enthusiasm for athletic competition with them around the world. Australia, which often cracks the top for total medal count, is a prime example.

In India, cricket is the de facto national sport but is not played at the Olympics. India also does tend to excel at hockey, which is played at the Olympics, but that only yields a maximum of two medals, one for men and one for women. Whereas sports competed by an individual, such as gymnastics, swimming and athletics, can yield several per athlete. But using variables like population and GDP are not true indicators of performance either, says Simon Gleave, head of sport analysis at data company Nielsen Gracenote, because they don't show which countries are doing better or worse than before.

Past performance, he says, is a much better predictor of who will do well - and it allows you to set expectations against achievement. He now consults nations hungry for that kind of glory. His clients can build facilities, hire coaches and develop training programs, but he believes they lack a key ingredient.

Johnson is talking about a network of colleges working just beneath the elite level. They might slip down the medals table. Like the kid from Dallas who ran with his shoulders high, head thrown back. The one who got a second chance in college and ended up as one of the greatest Olympians in history. Blackhawks fined, GM Stan Bowman resigns after investigation finds sexual assault allegations mishandled.

Protesters disrupt flame-lighting for Beijing Winter Olympics. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. Times Events.

Times Store. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options. By David Wharton Staff Writer. Olympics The U. She is among the athletes who developed into an Olympian thanks to the American college system.

Olympics Commentary: Stanford saga shows Pac may no longer champion Olympic sports. Carl Lewis makes his first jump in the finals of the long jump at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Lewis is among the athletes developed by the American college system.