Weird way America is rigging medal tally at Olympics

Americans reading about the Olympics have a “shameless” take on which country is on top of the medal tally in Paris.

The Americans are up to their old tricks at the Paris Olympics.

Even though the athletic superpower is again expected to feature at the top of the medal tally in France, American officials are already fixing the medal tables seemingly because there is just a hint of the country being upstaged.

It did not go unnoticed at the Tokyo Games in 2021 that the medal tables used by American media platforms inexplicably shifted to suit what the United States team’s tally looked like.

Traditionally, the ranking of nations on the table is dictated by how many gold medals a nation has.

If they are tied on gold then it goes down to how many silvers they’ve won, and then the same rule applies with bronze medals.

However, many major US publications — including NBC and the New York Times no less — have previously come up with their own way of ranking the world’s nations — based on the most overall medals won.

Sixth comes right after first.

Now it’s happening again in the first few days in Paris, despite America standing three gold medals behind leaders Japan, as of Tuesday morning (AEST).

Surprise, surprise the shift ranks the United States on top with 20 total medals (three gold, eight silver and nine bronze). Japan has six gold medals and 12 total medals.

Australia sit ahead of America on the official Olympics website medal tally with five gold medals and four silver medals.

The United States’ desperate ploy has not gone unnoticed around the world.

One commentator has even suggested the New York Times “has no shame”.

I was making a joke. The New York Times took it seriously. #Paris2024https://t.co/ykKOmOlrb2pic.twitter.com/6Xxb3PbGtZ

— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 29, 2024

Hey @nytimes , this is not how the medal tally works. pic.twitter.com/F3Npp5EaEY

— Joel Gaskell (@joelgaskell) July 29, 2024

The @nytimes has no shame. Every country in the world ranks by gold medals. It's never by total.

But this is a country that insists on Fahrenheit and pounds, when almost no one else does. pic.twitter.com/AOIQFXcnvC

— Bradley Jurd (@BradleyJurd) July 29, 2024

Looking at the rankings on several USA sites during the first week of the Tokyo Games, America again sat firmly on top of the medal table— with nine golds, eight silvers and eight bronze medals.

It is widely accepted by the international sporting community that gold medals are the decisive factor. While the IOC doesn’t officially endorse either system, America stands almost alone in its view of total medals won.

In Tokyo the tables conveniently shifted back to total gold medals won by the time America finished the Olympics on top with a haul of 39 gold medals.

The USA had to wait until the final day of competition to topple China, which finished with 36 gold medals.

NBC had America on top.

Australia's Ariarne Titmus wins gold in the Women's 400m Freestyle final and poses next to USA's Katie Ledecky at the 2020 Olympics. Pics Adam Head.

The USA blew everyone away when it came to total medals won with 112 compared to nearest challenger China, which finished with 84.

Australia won 17 gold medals in Tokyo, equalling the nation’s all-time record set at the Athens 2004 Games.

Australia has a chance to break that record with the Dolphins swimming squad expected to challenge for the gold medal in 12 events in the Paris pool.

You can bet the American broadcasters will be tempted to look at changing their medal classifications if the Aussie swimmers start the Games on top.

That’s what happened at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships where the Aussie team finished with an astonishing haul of five world records and 13 gold medals — something Australia hasn’t accomplished since 2005.

America still thins it won the 2023 world champs.

During that event, feathers were ruffled when American broadcast partner NBC also put America on top on the basis of total medals won.

That medal tally was the reason Aussie swim legend Cate Campbell took a light-hearted swipe at her American rivals, highlighting the American team’s irking tradition of ringing a cowbell when each of their swimmers come out to race.

“I mean Australia coming out on top of the world is one thing, but it is just so much sweeter beating America,” the four-time Olympian said.

“The first night of competition, we did not have to hear ‘Star Spangled Banner’ ring out through the stadium. I cannot tell you how happy that made me.

“If I hear that song again it will be too soon.

“Bring on Paris. That’s all I have to say to the US. Stop being sore losers.”

Originally published as Weird way America is rigging medal tally at Olympics