Paris 2024 Olympic Games: How does the medal table work? How are countries ranked? How does a country win the Olympics?
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Published 05/08/2024 at 21:43 GMT+1
With the Paris 2024 Olympics well underway, there has been much speculation about how the medal table works. The medal table at the Olympic Games is sorted out by the number of golds achieved by each team. This means the country with the most number of golds wins the overall Olympics. If any countries tie on the Olympic medal table, bronze and silver medals are then taken into account.
Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Medals revealed for those who triumph in Paris
Video credit: TNT Sports
The medal table is taking shape at the Olympic Games as Paris 2024 heads into the second week.
Gold is the currency at an Olympic Games, as the country with the most golds will top the table.
If countries are tied on golds, then silver and bronze medals will be counted to sort out the order.
USA has topped the medal table at the Summer Games 18 times.
At the Tokyo Olympic Games, USA dominated the medal table as they earned 39 golds, 41 silvers and 33 bronzes, while second-placed China won 38 golds, 32 silvers and 19 bronzes.
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The highest Great Britain has ever ranked in recent years was at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 when they clinched second place from China by one gold medal.
Some Olympic watchers have noticed that in the USA, the table has been ordered by the amount of medals won rather than total golds.
That, however, is not the official method recognised by the IOC which orders the table based on the number of golds won.
Team GB's medal table performances
Team GB have won more golds so far at the Paris 2024 Olympics Games than they did at the whole of the Atlanta 1996 Summer Games.
In Atlanta, they only won a single gold medal in the men's coxless pair. They also won eight silver medals and six bronzes. However, because only the total of golds was taken into account, Team GB finished in 16th place.
Team GB have only topped the medal table at the London Olympic Games in 1908 when their haul included 56 gold medals, 51 silvers and 39 bronze medals.
To keep up to date with the current Olympic gold medal standings and how many medals have Team GB won, you can check out Eurosport's Olympic medal table.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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