You're doing it rrrong

[mahnmut]

I check up the winter Olympics medal count and what do I see?

1.		United States	9	14	13	36
2.		Germany	10	12	7	29
3.		Canada	13	7	5	25

Naaaah, nice trick, but I'm afraid you're doing it rrrong. That's not how the medal count is done. Or maybe in this case it is, since it's more convenient? Maybe the way the medal count is done varies, depending on whether you have the most medals in general, or the most gold medals. Eh?

As far as I know (and the IOC seems to agree with me), the medal count is done this way:

1.		Canada	13	7	5	25
2.		Germany	10	12	7	29
3.		United States	9	14	13	36

Ah. Now it's better.

Nice try, though. A lot of people might have even bought it, I'll give you that ;-)

 

Comments

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I think i guessed the medal winner (although the Games aint over yet). Before the Games, i said Canada is the hidden (or not so hidden) favourite. My reason: i checked the medal count from the most recent winter Games and i noticed Canada had the most silver medals, ie the most potential to turn them into gold. And, being the host of these Games, Canada was surely going to be "nudged" towards better results by the refs (in those disciplines where refs are involved), and by the home public. And sure they were.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

As far as i remember, there used to be some system of giving points for every type of medal. Even places 5-8 were awarded some points in that system, but i cant find a source right now.

In any case, Canada has the most titles (so far), so Canada should be the winner. Not someone who has sent 534560 athletes to the Olympics. Quantity does not make quality :)

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

Meh, who really cares, you all just like to denigrate the U.S. :P

Actually kudos for Canada, it's my understanding that up til now they had never won a Gold at an Olympics held in Canada.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Maybe, maybe :P

[pantsu.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure they're just counting the total medals won. Anybody can look at the count on the gold and see that Canada is leading. It's not like they're trying to deceive anybody.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Does a bronze medal count as much as a gold medal, then?

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I think the current 4-2-1 system that IOC has adopted is quite fair:

Gold = 4 pts
Silver = 2 pts
Bronze = 1 pts

[pantsu.livejournal.com]

I personally don't think it does, but if you're counting the total amount of medals without tying a certain value to them (gold/silver/bronze-wise) then yeah it does. Again, people are smart enough to see Canada has more gold medals and is therefore leading.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Actually, there are two counting systems: the US counting system (used by CNN, NBC, Google & Yahoo) and the International counting system (used by virtually everyone else, including the official Olympic authority, IOC). I think this tells volumes ;)

Some links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_medal_table
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Olympic_medal_rankings
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2602029/US-accused-of-medal-table-spin-Beijing-Olympics-2008.html
http://ask.metafilter.com/99536/Why-is-the-Olympic-medal-table-different-in-American-media
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080809224732AASe4CO
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/48508-olympic-medal-count
http://thunderhouse.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/olympic-medal-count-methodology/

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

And some more links.

http://blogs.reuters.com/china/2008/08/19/whos-top-of-the-medals-table/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4599875.ece
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121856271893833843.html?mod=psp_free_today

http://beijing2008.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/the-medal-rankings-which-country-leads-the-olympics/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2008/aug/14/bustedhowamericaturnedthe

[pantsu.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know. But as I said, if you count the total amount of medals won without placing a point system on them in regards to their rank, then the first table is correct. And again, nobody is dumb enough to think America is winning more gold medals. Had Canada has less gold but more medals overall, we'd still be seeing the first table as well. I wouldn't consider this nationalistic - there's simply two ways of counting them, even if only one of them is official.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on the media you're watching. Google is a US media, it pushes the US "system" forward. Any non-US media uses the international system. Nuff said.

[pantsu.livejournal.com]

Said about what? I'm not sure what you're attempting to imply here. Just because the USA uses a different system doesn't mean they're trying to make it seem like they're winning or anything.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Point taken.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Sure, and Finns ate the most beef steaks at these Olympics. Let's count beef steaks next. Finland wins. SUOMI!

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Really? How much beef was eaten in the Finnish camp? I bet i could beat their champion in a beef steak eating contest.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

Not only Canada wins the medal count.

Canada actually has just put a new winter olympics gold medal record (14 gold medals). In the past, only Norway and USSR had 13, but no-one had achieved 14 golds.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Switzerland also fared pretty well on these Olympics.

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Winter_Olympics_medal_table#Medal_table

The medal table is based on information provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is consistent with IOC convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a nation is an entity represented by a National Olympic Committee). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically.

Enough said.