The Games Strike Rate: How Small Countries With Even Smaller Economies Than India Hit Sporting Jackpot At Paris Olympics

While on Thursday, August 8, it was not. It was much more.

As the clock ticked towards midnight in a place around 6,500 km from Paris, no one expected that a man who threw for distance would reach such great heights.

Arshad Nadeem, from the streets of Mian Chanu, Pakistan, stood on the podium in Paris with a gold medal around his neck and an Olympic record to his name. 

The same 92.97 number had won him a historic Olympic gold. 

One doesn’t often talk about Pakistan when discussing the global economy. Well, they do, but usually for the wrong reasons.

Is The Size Of Economy Linked To The Country’s Performance At An Olympic Games?

Pakistan, with a much smaller economy than Mumbai, a city in India, might just finish ahead of them in the Olympic medal tally.

How does one make sense of this, especially when looking at sheer numbers?

At the Tokyo Olympics, not long ago, the top 10 countries in the medal tally won more than 50% of the medals.

The top three countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) size - the United States, China and Japan were also the top three on the list for the medal race. 

India are fifth in the world in terms of GDP, while Pakistan rank 46th.

Adding to the economic yardstick, India sent 117 of their athletes to Paris, while Pakistan sent seven, and yet they are most likely to be ranked above their more prosperous neighbours in the medal tally.

By any measure, there should be no contest at all.

They have no domestic competitions that run throughout the year, or world-class sporting facilities, and yet in sporting terms they hit the jackpot.

Punching Over Their Weight?

Take Jamaica, known for its smaller GDP and relatively small population. Thanks to the impact of Usain Bolt, Jamaica finished third behind the United States and Russia in the 2012 London Olympics Athletics medal tally.

Explaining why countries with small economies overachieve can be attributed to the chance that they also produce once-in-a-generation, out-of-this-world athletes.

Talking more about contingent sizes and striking gold medals, the United States have sent 592 athletes to Paris, while Australia have flown 461, China with 388, 144 are from Korea, and 117 from India.

While the United States have won 103 thus far, followed by China (73), Australia (45), Korea (28) and a lowly five for India.

Talking about smaller countries, Romania, Ukraine and Uzbekistan are placed 15th, 16th, and 18th respectively on the points table with three gold medals each, while India have none. 

Adding to the list, Eastern European countries like Croatia and Serbia are placed 22nd and 29th, respectively.

The erstwhile Soviet Union made its debut at the 1952 Olympics and that kicked off as a force to dominate the summer as well as the winter Olympics, and these countries are the remnants of a Russian sporting superpower.

Coming to the Central Asian part of the world, Iran are 21st, while Kazakhstan are 31st, highlighting how even they have the ability to strike gold.

Conversely, India have never been a major sporting country that goes to a global event and sweeps away all the medals.

Having said that, the world's most populous country is truly on the right track and despite the low numbers, the Paris stop is a stepping stone and India will hope to deliver the promise, reaping rewards on the podium.