The Race for Gold

For over a millenium, athletes from across the globe have convened to partake in grueling tests of athleticism.  Since its inauguration in 1896, the Olympic Games have represented international harmony and sportsmanlike competition.

More recently, however, incrementally more focus has been placed on each country’s medal count, with media outlets endlessly sensationalizing the golds and silvers of their respective nations.  And you know what?  I love it.

To get a better idea of how the medals are spread worldwide, you can search “olympic medal count” in Google, which will show the top 3 medal-earning countries as the top search result.

The New York Times has also put together a great historical/graphical representation of the medal race using circles of relative size on a world map layout.  The dynamic, flash-based diagram can be found here.